The Big Up Music and Arts Festival announced today that it will be taking a one-year hiatus in 2012. According to a statement, festival organizers cite unforeseen circumstances as the cause for the hiatus, while including that plans are underway for a large scale festival event for 2013.

The following statement was released by the festival organizers on The Big Up Music and Arts Festival website and Facebook page today:

Dear Friends and family of The Big Up and Shireworks Productions:

It is with much disappointment that we must announce that The Big Up will be taking an unexpected hiatus this year. However, in the face of this disappointment, we maintain the position that sacrifices must be made in order to keep an eye on the bigger picture.

As a festival, we couldn’t have been happier with TBU 2011, and we have you, the fans and the family to thank for making it as magical as we all remember. The fact of the matter is that there are factors beyond our control that have forced us to make a very difficult decision.

Like many great festivals and events in history have had to do- we are taking this hiatus for 2012, so that we may come back stronger in 2013!

The Big Up was and is about letting yourself be taken by the current of our beautiful community and culture and enjoying every minute of the ride, not swimming against it. We all experienced something very special in the last two summers, and it will not be forgotten over the next one.

Trust us when we say that we are a family and we aren’t going anywhere. The Big Up will continue to grow, as every long-lost stranger feels that magical moment when they become a piece of something greater than the sum of it’s parts.