BRECKENRIDGE, CO (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Earlier this year, AEG had approached the town of Breckenridge about hosting the 3rd annual SnowBall music festival. But citing concerns about drug and alcohol use and unable to come to an agreement on a suitable date, Breckenridge city officials told AEG that they would be taking a pass on the event.
The festival, which returned for its second year in Avon Colorado in 2012, saw 140 arrests, 101 of which were for drug and alcohol violations, primarily arrests for underaged drinking. The previous year saw only 48 arrests, but Avon police chief Bob Ticer told Vail Daily that they had expanded their law enforcement focus on the event in 2012.
“It was the way that Avon approached it,” Rob Thomas, AEG's director of operations told the Breckenridge town council. “These same artists play Red Rocks, which is a city-owned venue, all summer long without incident. That's the bottom line with it, is it works at Red Rocks."
However, the city council appeared to feel differently, and after hearing concerns from some members of the community and from Breckenridge Ski Resort who felt that the festival would impact their own Spring Fever festival, took a pass.
"This is an event that I really can't back,” Breckenridge Mayor John Warner told Vail Daily. "There was a medical emergency aspect to the Avon experience. There were over 20 rushes to the hospital for alcohol and substance abuse overdoses. I just worry about that happening in our community."
The festival is produced by SnowBall Ventures with AEG providing consulting services for the event. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
