Blended Festival organizer vanishes midtour, owes partners over $6 million: report

The CEO of Blended Festival has skipped out on paying hundreds of artists, vendors, investors and festival staff after he disappeared earlier this fall, according to a report.

Sean Evans has over $6 million in debt to those who helped pull off the Nashville, Tennessee, leg of the music festival headlined by Lil Jon & the Chainsmokers that took place on Sept. 10-11, reported the New York Post.

Mr. Evans has gone missing since then, with the festival’s Instagram account saying last week that he has “been absent” as of Oct. 1. 

The Instagram account, which is run by a third party, went on to say Mr. Evans disabled the staff email list and is the only person with access to bank accounts, payroll and ticketing along with being the only one making administrative decisions on behalf of the festival. 

The Post obtained an email that it said was sent from Mr. Evans on Oct. 5 where he claimed he had a “minor heart attack, specifically a form of cardiomyopathy” the previous day.

“It’s been a bit scary. …  I’ve got some lifestyle decisions to make,” the email continued. “I’m probably going to move to email only for a little while so I can manage the amount of input I receive.”

Sources that spoke with the Post said they are skeptical about how truthful the claims are, given that they can’t find proof of him being hospitalized anywhere.

The Instagram account also posted emails that were allegedly sent by Mr. Evans on Oct. 10, when he said he’s dissolving Blended Festival and its parent company, My Wine Society (MWS), for which he serves as CEO as well. 

“If you’re receiving this, legal recommends that you do not communicate to anyone regarding MWS or Blended Fest affairs without consulting them first as you could unintentionally implicate or present yourself or the company in the wrong manner,” the alleged email from Mr. Evans said.

The roving wine, beer and liquor festival was scheduled for performances in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 25-26, in San Diego on Oct. 8-9 and in Tampa, Florida, on Nov. 19-20 prior to Mr. Evans’ disappearance.