By Carlotta Mohamed
Venus International Productions (VIP) cancelled this year’s Haitian Family Labor Day Fest, taking a break to strategize how they can expand and make the festival more profitable for next year.
“Nothing went wrong per se and we were in no way forced to cancel the festival,” said, Urbain Richard, VIP’s CEO, who took over the festival in 2012. “I weighed many options and made the best decision for Venus Intl’ Productions, the bands and the community at large.”
The Haitian Family Labor Day Fest has earned its reputation for providing great entertainment such as spotlighting Haitian talent, while honoring the sounds of Haiti, including Racine, Ragga, Rap Kreyol and Konpa music bringing fans from across the United States, the Caribbean and Haiti.
What we want to do is bring the musical fest into a different realm, where families can come enjoy a full day of fun-filled activities. From face-painting, to bouncy houses, to food and dancing, we want the Haitian Family Labor Day Fest to become a family tradition, said Richard.
VIP is keeping the date and weekend open, of course, but since they’re taking a full year hiatus, the skies are the limit into the possibilities that are in their future, said Richard.
“New York is a vast place, but we might surprise everyone and change our location,” said Richard. “Right now anything is a possibility, not a confirmation.”