Insane Clown Posse Announces Gathering of the Juggalos Is Cancelled for This Year

The devastation felt by fans that South by Southwest, the Cannes Film Festival, or San Diego Comic-Con were being cancelled pales in comparison to the disappointment felt among the Juggalo community when it was confirmed by Insane Clown Posse that this year’s annual The Gathering would be cancelled. The event has been held the past 20 years in various parts of the Midwest, moving from Michigan to Ohio to Illinois to Missouri, with this year’s event meant to take place in Garrettsville, Ohio from August 5th through August 8th. The music festival is orchestrated by Psychopathic Records and celebrates their roster of musical acts.

“Psychopathic Records and the Insane Clown Posse LIVE for the Juggalo family!” the group shared in a statement. “For 20 consecutive years, the Gathering of the Juggalos has been the biggest family reunion on the planet, generating untold levels of freshness for thousands and thousands of attending Juggalos from all walks of life, all around the world. With the global pandemic that is now affecting us all, we are dedicated first and foremost to the safety and health of our family. That said, at this juncture, it is with a heavy heart we announce that due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we have no choice but to postpone the Gathering until next year.”

It continues, “This is not only a call we had to make but one that the owners of the Nelson Ledges Quarry Park (where the Gathering was to take place) regrettably had to make as well. With tens of thousands of deaths due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we can’t possibly in good conscience even consider trying to put on a Gathering during these difficult times. Aside from the serious health concerns, there are numerous other factors that have destroyed any possibility of the Gathering taking place this year. The entire music industry is at a dead halt due to the quarantine, and this, along with the uncertainty of how things will eventually pan out, has made it impossible to move forward with the 2020 GOTJ. That aside, the bottom line is simply that we REFUSE to risk even ONE Juggalo life by hosting a Gathering during these troubling times.”

The event is known for its dedicated fans that bring raucous energy to the festival, which averages nearly 10,000 attendees each year. In addition to performances by Insane Clown Posse themselves, the event has seen performances by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Vanilla Ice, Three 6 Mafia, 2 Live Crew, Andrew W.K., Ice Cube, Gwar, Drowning Pool, and Master P.

The statement concluded, “We want everyone to heed the words of Fred Fury and Flip the Rat: ‘BE SAFE: Watch your step and take it easy. You can’t replace what you mean to our team. Without you, tell me where the f-ck we’d be?’”

Stay tuned for details on other events impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Header photo courtesy of Joey Foley/Getty Images