Dubai's RiSE Festival postponed again until further notice

The event has received criticism for its impact on the environment…

RiSE DXB, a famed music and lantern festival originating from the US, has been postponed again until further notice. When the festival was announced in July 2019, it faced heavy backlash from UAE residents for it’s safety and environmental impact.

Originally announced to make its Dubai debut on Friday November 8, the date was then updated to December, and once again pushed until February 2020. However, the latest email sent to those who pre-registered now advises that the festival has been postponed, with no new date given.

The email read, “As you know, we’ve been planning with partners, stakeholders and authorities over the past year as we explore the opportunity of hosting our first ever festival outside of the US. These discussions are still on-going, and with sustainability always at the forefront of our decision-making process, we have ultimately decided to postpone RiSE Dubai until we can execute the festival to our highest level standards; for both participants and for the environment.”

Although the original location was given as Al Qudra, we don’t know if the change of date also means a change of location.

In addressing the environmental issue, festival organisers said on their website that they have a “leave it better than we found it” policy, adding that all of the lanterns are 100 per cent biodegradable. “After the event our cleaning crews recover all of the lanterns from the surrounding desert as well as any pre-existing litter in the area, leaving the desert cleaner than it was when we arrived,” a statement on their official website reads.

The email continued, “Although we are disappointed that we cannot bring the magic of RiSE to Emirates sooner, we know that this is the beginning of something big”. No additional details were given on when or where the festival is expected to take place.