Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Sunburn Festival, one of India's most popular music festivals, continues to face a series of ongoing logistical and community-based problems.The festival has faced the ire of nearby residents who, according to the Pune Mirror, believe the festival, "will hamper the environment and lower moral standards," due to its loud music, traffic, tree cutting, and potential consumption of drugs and alcohol. Residents have asked for a ban on the event.According to the Pune Mirror, a criminal petition and a civil petition were filed on Saturday before magistrate and civic courts asking for a festival ban. The petitions were filed by members of the Mahiti Swewa Samati, a local group working for farmers legal rights. The civil petition will be heard on December 19 and the criminal petition heard on December 23.Harindra Singh, the chairman and MD of Sunburn Global, disagreed with the complaints."Organizations protesting against the event should approach us with their doubts," Singh said. "This is not the first time we are organizing Sunburn."In addition to opposition from neighbors, organizers of the event have yet to secure the necessary permits. Festival organizers still need a permit from the police and to pay the entertainment tax typically collected through ticket sales. Tickets are currently on sale for the festival. There has been no word from Sunburn officials when or if they will acquire the correct permitting.Sunburn Festival is scheduled to take place December 28-31. Scheduled performers include Afrojack, Armin Van Buuren, and Krewella. In 2015, an alleged ISIS threat forced Sunburn Festival organizers to increase security efforts.
Advertisement