Following the news of the tragic shooting at the Blue Parrot during The BPM Festival in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, an official statement has been released confirming the postponement of BPM Brazil.
“For now, we will be postponing our plans for The BPM Festival: Brazil, until further notice,” the statement reads. “The dance floor is where people come together to share joy, be with friends, create memories, and celebrate life. While our festival and dance community have experienced a tragedy, we’d also like to remember the magical moments, new friendships, and beautiful landscape of Mexico that we’ve all shared over the last 10 years. Our hearts are broken by the loss of six wonderful lives that were cruelly cut short. We will not forget them as we struggle to come to grips that such a tragedy could have occurred at an event that is the very embodiment of positivity and shared love of music in the global dance community.”
There has been widespread speculation regarding the incident, which occurred on 16 January, the last evening of the festival.
According to the official statement released by BPM, a lone gunman began shooting outside the venue, resulting in 5 fatalities and 15 injuries. However, numerous eyewitness accounts have been contradictory, purporting that the shootings were carried out inside the venue by multiple gunmen, and it is also alleged that police were slow to react.
It is speculated that the incident has been tied to a conflict between drug cartels and festival organisers. Fox News reported that on the morning after the shooting, four “narcoblankets” appeared in Playa del Carmen, bearing the following text (translated from Spanish):
“This is a sign that we are already here because you didn’t align PHILLIP -BPM, it is the beginning we are going to cut the heads of Golfos, PELONES and chapulines, Atte [Sincerely] el FAYO Z from the old SCHOOL”
It is believed that “Fayo Z” is Rafael del Angel Morales, an alleged leader of the regional Zetas Cartel. “Phillip- BPM” is believed to be a reference to BPM co-founder Phillip Pulitano, and Quintana Roo’s Attorney General has said that investigators are looking into the matter.
The Portuguese leg of The BPM Festival is still planned to go ahead, and will kick off in September this year, although details of the exact location and line up have not yet been released.
