First the snowstorm comes, now many of New York/New Jersey Black and Latino LBGT received additional bad news. The organizers of Fire Island Black Out(FIBO), a beach party targeting LBGTs of color on the infamous gay friendly island of Fire Island, New York, have decided to cancel this year’s festivities after eleven successful years.
The organizers of FIBO released the following statement:
For 11 fantastic years, FIBO has been the premier beach event for the urban LGBT community, their families and friends. FIBO was never designed as a financial undertaking from which to make money, but rather as an annual event where our community could come together for a day of fun and help raise awareness about and funds for nonprofit organizations that benefit our community.
While thousands of people attend FIBO each year, the reality is that only a handful actually purchases our admission bracelets. The revenues generated from the sales of the admission bracelets were our primary means for paying expenses (e.g., beach cleanup, trash removal, security, tents, etc.). Over the years, our expenses have increased exponentially. At the same time, however, we have seen significant disparities between the number of people who buy the admission bracelets and those who attend the event.
So, this year, we are going to take time to re-design FIBO. This means that FIBO 2014 is cancelled. We hope by announcing the cancellation now everyone will have amble opportunity to change their plans without any major inconveniences.
During our re-design period, we will continue to be a resource for our community using our platforms to inform you about health, social events, and other important matters that affect our community.
We have worked very hard to build the FIBO community and appreciate your continued support and prayers. We are looking forward to seeing you again soon at bigger and better FIBO events!
In other words, the attendees of the event were enjoying the free-ninety-nine cost of the beach, but did not find it necessary to pay for the other services. After all, consumers aren’t concerned about the cost of putting on such an event annually. Hopefully, FIBO’s rebranding will entice the kids to purchase additional amenities.
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