Fake festival date passes with no turnout

No beer, no bites and no people were to be seen at the site of the fake Modesto Beer and Bites Festival on Saturday.

The small patch of grass at the intersection of 14th and L streets across from Graceada Park sat empty throughout the morning when it should have been bustling with more than 2,000 attendees enjoying some 250 different beers plus “carnival rides, water games and a large petting zoo.” Advertisements for the event also promised all-you-can-eat lobster tails, crab legs and oysters and “three stages of live entertainment showcasing some of the nation’s best bands.”

But the festival was proven to be a scam last week when organizers never applied for the required permits from the city for such a large-scale event despite promoting it heavily online and in local media, including The Modesto Bee. More than 100 tickets were sold on Groupon and tickets were also widely available through online vendors Brown Paper Tickets and Eventbrite for $18.50 to $99 each.

The grassy parklet, which is large enough for maybe a half-dozen picnickers at most, attracted no ticket holders – though two local television news crews did arrive to shoot video of the vacant “festival grounds.” The Modesto Police Department is investigating the case and at least one criminal complaint has been filed by a ticket buyer.

The Modesto Beer and Bites Festival also appears to be tied to at least three other questionable events promoted in the Bay Area: the Hot Garlic Crab Fest on Nov. 14 in San Francisco, the Naughty Garden Halloween Masquerade Ball on Oct. 31 in Oakland and the White Gala at Great America in Santa Clara, which was slated for Aug. 29 but never happened.

This story was originally published September 26, 2015 at 3:07 PM with the headline "Fake festival date passes with no turnout."