Bands pull out of Denver's Punk in the Park festival over political donations

Denver7 is getting to the bottom of alleged political donations by the festival organizer that caused backlash among performers

Two bands have withdrawn from the Punk in the Park festival, citing political donations from the event's organizer as the reason for their decision.

DENVER — Punk in the Park, a three-day punk rock festival held at the National Western Stockyards, kicked off with controversy overshadowing the packed lineup of 40-plus bands.

As severe weather briefly disrupted the first night of performances, the festival attendees also discussed the political storm brewing in the punk community.

Two bands, Destiny Bond and Time Heist, announced their withdrawal from the festival after discovering Cameron Collins, owner of Brew HaHa Productions — the production company behind Punk in the Park — had donated to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign along with other right-wing political groups, according to FEC reports.

Their sudden exit sparked heated debates among punk fans, aligning with the genre's anti-establishment roots.

Brandon Alan Lewis, owner of Punkerton Records, first uncovered Collins’ political contributions and felt compelled to inform others.

“I felt like people at least had the right to know,” said Lewis, explaining how this revelation conflicts with punk’s fundamental ideals. "I just felt like it was the antithesis of what we represent in punk rock."

Collins responded via email, stating, "At the end of the day, our events are not about politics — they’re about music, connection, and good times...and not once have I ever censored or restricted a band’s message or voice."

My focus has always been on bringing people together—not dividing them. Brew Ha Ha Productions exists to create inclusive, fun, and safe spaces where people from all walks of life—regardless of race, sexuality, beliefs, or political views—can come together to celebrate music and community.

The punk rock scene I fell in love with and have been a part of since I was 14 years old has always been rooted in individuality, questioning authority, and standing up for free expression. That ethos continues to guide everything we do.

At the end of the day, our events are not about politics—they’re about music, connection, and good times. That’s where my heart is, and that’s where it’s going to stay.

Over the years, I’ve proudly provided a platform for artists to reach hundreds of thousands of fans. We’ve paid millions of dollars in artist guarantees, and not once have I ever censored or restricted a band’s message or voice. Our track record speaks for itself.

To suggest otherwise is not only false—it fundamentally misrepresents who I am, what I stand for, and what Brew Ha Ha Productions embodies.

The festival continues amid rising discussions among fans, who largely support the bands' decision to withdraw.

Cole Kaiser stood by the bands' choices, stating, "If you know that's how they feel and that's what they want to do, I think they should stick by their beliefs."

Davey Dangerously shared, "You know, we're all talking about it, so it's a big deal to us," highlighting the impact of the issue on the punk community.

Cora Weatherby echoed the sentiment, saying, "Honestly, I'm not like most pumped to be supporting that either, but I already bought my tickets, and it's punk to be broke, so that's unfortunate, but yeah, so honestly, I think they're right to do that, and I'm surprised more bands haven't, but then I also understand that, you know, they need the revenue."

KDVR story:

Bands pull out of Punk in the Park amid controversy with organizer

by: Maddie Rhodes Posted: Jul 18, 2025

DENVER (KDVR) — Several bands have pulled out of Punk in the Park shortly before it’s set to start on Friday, with one band dropping out after learning the owner of the festival allegedly donated to President Donald Trump’s campaign.

Punk in the Park is a three-day music festival in Denver. Over 40 bands were set to play from Friday through Sunday, however, a few of the listed bands won’t be at the National Western Stockyards this weekend.

One band, Destiny Bond, said on Thursday morning that they won’t be performing after they learned the festival’s organizer reportedly donated to Trump’s presidential campaign.

“After learning and reflecting on the fact that the owner of the festival donated to Donald Trump’s campaign for president, we’ve decided playing as planned doesn’t align with our values,” the band said in an Instagram post.

Another band, Time X Heist, also announced they were dropping out on Thursday night, saying that they couldn’t support the organizers, although they didn’t directly state why.

“We cannot in good conscience support organizers that put profit over people. We have decided to step away from this fest to stand in solidarity with our trans siblings, immigrants and others negatively affected by the current administration and policies of the day, the band said in a Facebook post.

This comes after a petition began in April asking people to help stop the festival. The petition said that festival organizer, Brew Ha Ha Productions, allegedly donated to the Trump’s campaign, and provided a what appears to be a screenshot of a donation.

“As a long-time lover of punk rock and many of the bands on this bill, it stings to see a festival that’s supposed to represent our anti-establishment ethos being tied to politically divisive figures such as Trump,” the petition said.

Punk in the Park hasn’t said anything about the bands dropping out publicly, but on Friday morning, the festival posted an “update” on Instagram, stating that two other bands have dropped out for different issues, and Codefendents are performing instead.

“Sending our support to the guys in Real McKenzies who had Visa issues and the Guttermouth camp who experienced a medical emergency,” said Punk in the Park on Instagram.

The Real McKenzies said on Instagram that they had to cancel the show because their work permits hadn’t been approved by U.S. immigration.

“This is beyond our control!! We’re incredibly bummed that we won’t be able to play the show, and even more so cause we won’t get to see all the wicked bands playing the fest. We’ll do what we can to make things up in 2026, let’s hope things US immigration get sorted out and processing times return to normal,” The Real Mackenzies said in a post.

FOX31 has reached out to Punk in the Park and Brew Ha Ha Productions for a statement and is awaiting a response.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

🤮