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Bonanza Campout canceled in Heber, after the 3-day music event was denied a liquor permit and business license

(Salt Lake Tribune file photo) Heather Richey dances with a hula hoop at the first Bonanza Campout at Rivers Edge Resort near Heber in 2016. The fourth annual version of the event has been canceled, after organizers were denied a state liquor permit and a county business license.

  | May 8, 2019, 6:24 p.m.
| Updated: May 9, 2019, 6:16 p.m.

The Bonanza Campout, a three-day music festival set to bring 36 acts to the woods near Heber, has been canceled, organizers announced Wednesday.

The cancellation came after news last week that the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control would not give the 4-year-old event a liquor license, and that Wasatch County was denying organizers a business license.

“After reviewing all alternative options, we have come to the conclusion that there is no possible way to relocate the festival and still provide both artists and attendees with the same level of production and fan experience that Bonanza Campout has become known for,” organizers said in a statement sent by the event’s publicist, Adam St. Simons. The statement also appears on the event’s website.

Tickets and lodging expenses for the event, scheduled for June 21-23, will be refunded, the statement said.

Bonanza Campout was cited by the DABC last year for several violations during the 2018 event. The violations included allowing illegal drug use on the premises, allowing liquor to be brought in from outside the venue, and selling hard liquor in too-large quantities. Organizers paid $12,000 in fines.

Organizers pleaded their case with the DABC commission last week, promising heightened security to prevent a repeat of last year’s problems. But the commission denied organizers a single-use event permit.

Also, Dayton Lee Racer, now 22, a Utah Valley University wrestler, was accused of raping a then-20-year-old woman at last year’s Campout. Racer is facing one first-degree felony count of rape; he had a preliminary hearing in February, and his arraignment is scheduled for June 19.

This year’s Bonanza Campout had booked 36 acts, headlined by rapper G-Eazy, Australian pop-rock duo Empire of the Sun and electronic-music producer DJ Snake. The event has featured such acts as Cold War Kids in 2016, Ms. Lauryn Hill and Nas in 2017, and Halsey and Wiz Khalifa last year.

Despite the setback, organizers remain optimistic. “We will continue to keep you updated with any news or additional information as it becomes available and plan to see everyone again in 2020,” the statement concludes.