NH7 Weekender Pune cancelled—What’s the shocking reason behind the decision?

Jorja Smith. Pic/Getty Images

The NH7 Weekender music festival, that was to be held in Pune this weekend, was abruptly cancelled after the organisers were denied permission from the Pimpri-Chinchwad police. The much-anticipated gig was scheduled to take place on December 14-15 at Teerth Fields, Pune, with the organisers announcing that the gates would open for music enthusiasts at 2 pm. However, the sudden cancellation left thousands of visitors disappointed.

A senior IPS officer in Pimpri-Chinchwad police commissionerate told mid-day that the organisers of the festival were denied permission around two months ago when they had approached the police. "In the past, there were no residential colonies nearby, so the permission for such events was not an issue. But since a lot of development has taken place in the recent years, residents face a lot of difficulties, including noise pollution and traffic snarls. That was the reason we had been denying them the permission," the officer added.

"We have not been granting permission for any such event at the Teerth Fields for the last one year. After we orally denied them permission for the event multiple times, they approached us with a written request application which was also rejected. Above all, the traffic department had given them a refusal letter on December 2 for this event," said the senior police officer requesting anonymity. The 15th edition of NH7 Weekender was all set to feature over 30 artists, including international acts like Jorja Smith and Indian favourites like Amit Trivedi, Usha Uthup, King and Kayan.

But the statement released on their social media reads, "We are extremely disheartened to inform you that NH7 Weekender 2024 will no longer take place on 14th-15th December due to law and order restrictions in Pune. We are deeply saddened by this turn of events. Despite our best efforts to resolve the situation and having everything ready for the gates to open, it ultimately remained beyond our control. We assure all ticket holders that they will receive a refund via our ticketing partner, insider/district within 7-10 days. Detailed instructions for the refund process will be communicated in the coming days. We apologise for the inconvenience and deeply. Appreciate your unwavering support. As we enter the 15th year of the festival, the weekender family means more to us than ever. Thank you for standing by us."

Ankur Tewari and the Ghalat Family who were scheduled to perform on Saturday, shared that the official confirmation of the cancellation only came on Saturday afternoon. "We were supposed to have the sound check earlier today (Saturday), but it kept getting pushed further. Around 3 pm, we were informed about the cancellation. We were told that the event has been cancelled owing to unforeseen circumstances." As for the next step, Tewari said that some of the musicians are heading back, while others are looking to stay back for a few gigs in Pune. "I might just drop in to catch Peter Cat Recording Co., who are in town," he said. At the time of going to print, the organisers of NH7 refused to come on record for a comment.

(With inputs from Shriram Iyengar)