Brew Ha Ha Productions announced Friday morning that its Punk In The Park 2026 festival, including a previously scheduled May 23 date in Vallejo, has been canceled.
The festival, due to start April 18 in Pittsburgh before making it way to the Solano County Fairgrounds, first ran into trouble with the news that promoter Cameron Collins had donated to President Trump’s last campaign.
The nail in the coffin for the festival came on Thursday night when The Adicts, headlining with the Dead Kennedys, cited political reasons for dropping out of the lineup.
“The current climate surrounding the events has created challenges that make it impossible for us to move forward in a way that delivers the experience our fans, artists, and partners deserve,” the organizers’ statement reads. “Our goal has always been to bring people together through music, community, and shared passion.”
The announcement comes just a few days after the Dead Kennedys, who joined the lineup before news of the political donations broke, said they would play the agreed-upon date, but would not take part in any future editions of the festival.
“Punk rock should unify us, not divide us,” the Adicts wrote in a statement. “We will not be performing at Punk In The Park. Viva la Revolution.”
“We’ve become aware that the owner of Brew Ha Ha Productions, the company behind Punk Rock in the Park, made financial contributions in support of the Trump administration,” the Dead Kennedys wrote in a statement. “Our first reaction was to cancel our upcoming appearances. However, we do not feel that it would be fair to our supporters who have already purchased tickets and made plans to attend these shows.
“Dead Kennedys have always stood firmly against authoritarianism, racism, and fascism. That has not changed. After these scheduled appearances, we will not be participating in future Punk in the Park events.”
The iconic punk band, which began in San Francisco, was then blasted by former lead singer Jello Biafra, who left the band in 1986.
“They’re taking the money $$$, and THEN pulling out? The real Dead Kennedys would never have let this happen in the first place,” Biafra said in a statement. “One more sordid reason I don’t ever want to play with them again.”
The Dead Kennedys and the Adicts aren’t the first bands to lash out against Collins. Last summer, the Dropkick Murphys wrote, “Hey folks. Punk rock and Donald Trump just don’t belong together. So, upon finding out that Brew Ha Ha promotions donated to the Trump campaign, we will not be playing any more Punk in the Park shows. We kept our commitment to the Denver show because we didn’t want to leave our supporters who bought tickets holding the bag.”
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