CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The American Bank Center is the latest venue to cancel an event planned by AZ Food Festivals out of Arizona after the promoter failed to secure the required number of vendors by its deadline.
KRIS 6 News contacted the ABC last month after viewers contacted us with concerns about the upcoming Taco & Margarita Fest Corpus Christi.
The event was scheduled for October 9 and included options to pre-order general admission tickets for $10 or V-I-P tickets for $40.
V-I-P tickets were said to include event entry, drink specials, entertainment, a t-shirt, and two margaritas.
But people who have attended events in other states have taken to social media to list a myriad of problems that have happened with several festivals.
Lisa Manda, interim general manager for the ABC, said a clause in the contract allowed the event to be canceled if the required number of vendors was not secured by the deadline.
She says it's a standard clause when working with new promoters in order to protect the venue and the City of Corpus Christi.
The ABC had asked for 12 vendors by the deadline and Manda said they had secured "far less than that."
Complaints from recent AZ Food Festival events have surfaced from across the county, including Fargo, North Dakota, Scranton and Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, Des Moines, Iowa, and Buffalo, New York, according to news reports.
Among the complaints, festival-goers say food has run out or was substandard, there have been very few vendors and items promised with V-I-P tickets have also run out, according to social media posts and news articles.
For those who have purchased tickets to the Corpus Christi festival through Ticketmaster, a refund will automatically be issued beginning Tuesday.
For tickets purchased at the window, you will need to return to the box office to get a refund.
