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Sunset Junction Tickets on Sale, but Festival has no Permits
Johnathan Rice plays at the 2008 Sunset Junction Street Festival (see more photos here) | Photo by Koga/LAist
An e-mail sent out from an online ticketing vendor today advertised this year's Sunset Junction, but city officials say no street closure and event permits have been granted to the festival. TicketWeb lists admission for the popular and longstanding event at $15 each day for August 22nd and 23rd confusing attendees who thought the festival was gone or should be free of charge.
At this point, there is no guarantee the festival will make a return. Last week, City Council President Eric Garcetti arranged for the festival organizers to meet with local business owners and neighborhood groups to discuss the problems that came out of last year, such as local employees being forced to pay festival admission to get to work and not allowing postal workers to deliver the mail.
"The idea would be that the organizers would listen to these concerns and would come back with a proposal before moving forward," said Garcetti Spokesperson Julie Wong. That proposal, which has not been received yet, would determine if the event gets a permit or not.
Garcetti's office is seeking a consensus among the community to ensure the event remains a positive experience for everyone. If that goal cannot be reached, the festival's future, now in its 29th year, is cloudy.
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