Fake Montreal Music Festival Made Over $7,000 in Fraudulent Ticket Sales

Festival season is rearing its head in Canada – an opportunity that makes scammers rub their hands with glee. When a seemingly new Montreal festival advertised a star-studded lineup with Harry Styles, Doja Cat, and SZA as headliners, music fans thought it was too good to be true. And they were right – the festival isn’t happening. 

Festival Aurora’s Instagram account published a series of glossy posts advertising a three-day event at Vieux-Port de Montreal. With renowned acts like Charli XCX and Tyler, the Creator, the fake festival sold eye-watering general passes, totaling $900 for the weekend. 

When the promising roster caused a social media stir, the Vieux-Port de Montreal confirmed that Festival Aurora is fraudulent. A spokesperson told MTL Blog that “a festival with such popular names would have to be planned months in advance.” 

“Neither the SVPM (Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal) nor the other partners on our territory (Port-de-Montréal / Grand Quai) were approached.”

According to La Presse, the festival sold $7,000 worth of tickets in five days. 

Music fans pointed out that most headliners are already booked for the dates advertised by Festival Aurora. Instagram user @mayorofmontreal did some digging on the event’s roots. 

In a series of Instagram highlights, the user discovered that the promoter, Groupe Cenari, is a few months old.

After reaching out to the festival’s promoters questioning the event’s legitimacy, a user named Alessio Piccolo said the festival would be “soon” available on the headliners’ websites. 

Although Aurora Festival advertised American Express and Pepsi as sponsors, both companies confirmed that Cenari doesn’t have permission to use their logos.