By GARETT VALCOURTThe Solfest Electronic Dance Music (EDM) Festival, held at Vortex Spring, has left a significant mark on the area, continuing to generate controversy months after its conclusion. An investigation has revealed that numerous food vendors have yet to receive payment for their services, a situation causing increasing frustration and financial strain.
Vendors, some of whom prefer to remain anonymous, have stepped forward to share their grievances. One vendor stated, “We were told by the vendor prior to the event that we would be paid in full 14 days after the event.” However, they were later informed by the promotion team that this information was incorrect.
Solfest utilized BillFold, a cashless point-of-sale system, to manage transactions. BillFold’s website claims to provide “real-time analytics from every interaction point. Consumer intelligence throughout the consumer journey. Granular data giving you the pulse of your operations, reducing wasted administrative time and ultimately guiding your operations to be more successful and financial viability.” Despite these assurances, many vendors have not been compensated even after 60 days. Angela Winters, owner of “Rice Rice Baby”, expressed her frustration, saying, “They told us to direct any questions to their attorney Anthony Carr, who claimed that there were many moving parts. It was a lame excuse! I believe this because all money was collected digitally and the work they had to do would be clicking a mouse.”
Vendors are reportedly owed between $25,000 and $60,000. One vendor, who requested anonymity, highlighted additional issues such as inadequate internet connectivity during the event, resulting in significant financial losses. “Billfold requires that the event promoters are responsible for providing the internet in order to process transactions. One of the biggest issues we had was the lack of internet during the event. I lost between $8,000-$10,000 dollars because transactions never came through.” The vendor further explained, “While the internet problems are to blame for some issues, chargebacks are a major issue as well.” A chargeback is when a person contacts their credit card or banking institution to dispute a charge on the card. “I hope when this story hits ink that the patrons get just as much credit for the expletive show as the patrons. All the patrons who did chargebacks on the credit card. These people came and enjoyed a free event but then caused issues when they did a chargeback. The festival promoters are now trying to figure out how to pay the vendors in full.”
A Reddit thread has surfaced, with attendees discussing strategies to reclaim their money, adding to the complexity of the situation. This has placed further financial responsibility on the promoters, who are now struggling to fulfill their obligations to the vendors.
The Vending company “Rice Rice Baby” stated, “We were only paid, so they could shut us up.”
Attempts to contact the vendor organizer and the promotion team have been unsuccessful, with calls and voicemails remaining unanswered.
Hannah Collins 
Jim Saunders 