Cercle cancels Mexico festival, seeks financial support
The livestream platform, which has previously filmed in locations including Egypt, Jordan and Turkiye, says it is now "in danger" nearly a decade after launching
Cercle has cancelled its autumn festival in Mexico amid mounting financial difficulties, with the acclaimed DJ livestream platform sharing the news via Instagram.
Over the years, Cercle has become known for staging performances at extraordinary locations around the world, including across the MENA-T region. In Egypt, Sebastien Léger performed from the Giza Pyramids in 2020, followed by WhoMadeWho at the Abu Simbel Temples in 2021. Jordan joined the list in 2022 with Bedouin's performance at Al-Khazneh (The Treasury) in Petra, while Turkiye has since hosted Ben Böhmer's exclusive sunrise set above Cappadocia and Be Svendsen at Mount Nemrut.
Derek Barbolla, founder of the Paris-based company, revealed that Cercle is currently "in danger" as it grapples with "serious" financial challenges, nearly 10 years after launching in 2016.
"This is probably the hardest post we’ve ever written," he started. "Over the past two years, everything converged at once. After COVID, costs and taxes kept rising and margins kept shrinking."
"The weight of years of betting everything on what we believed in became too much to carry," he continued. "At some point, the balance we always managed to hold, just couldn’t hold anymore."
Cercle Festival, which had been scheduled to take place in San José del Cabo, Mexico, from November 14-15 this year, has now been called off due to the company's financial situation.
Barbolla said the festival could no longer go ahead "under the same conditions it was designed and planned for", adding that all ticket holders would receive refunds in the coming days.
"Over the years, many of you asked how to support Cercle directly, and today, for the first time, we actually need that help," Barbolla wrote, urging fans for donations.
The support page offers a range of contribution packages, including having your name featured in a future video's credits, access to behind-the-scenes footage, and the chance to win signed vinyl records and a gold record.
"Whatever happens next, what we built together cannot be undone and will stay with us forever," Barbolla said. "Everything we published will stay free on our YouTube, as long as it’s under our control."
See the full statement below.
