BPM Festival‘s organizers will have to relocate the 2017 edition of the event. Following the tragic deaths of five and injuries of at least fifteen more as a result of one or more shootings on the final evening of the 2016 edition of the festival, local lawmakers will no longer allow the gathering to take place in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

According to Escena Local Music, Playa del Carmen’s municipal president, Cristina Torres Gómez, issued an official statement regarding the implications of the attacks that took place Monday, January 16th. Owing to the incident’s presumed impact on the locale’s image in the eyes of tourists, the statement announced that Playa del Carmen would no longer play host to BPM Festival as a precautionary measure.

According to rumors, the gunman who opened fire at the Blue Parrot had been ejected from the festival grounds for selling drugs, prompting him to return with a firearm. However, the BPM organizers failed to mention additional assailants in their official statement even though attendees (like the one who spoke to djbios) reported witnessing multiple crime scenes.

Being that the shooting(s) are presumed to have arisen from some form of cartel turf disagreement – and sources indicate that drugs had been sold much more openly during this year’s edition – some speculate that some of the festival staff were more closely involved with the assailants than they want the public to know.

We at djbios offer our condolences to the families and friends of the five individuals who passed away as a result of the BPM Festival shootings at this time.