Cercle Announces Financial Crisis, Cancels Mexico Festival

A Decade of Risk-Taking Comes to a Head

Cercle, the French production company known for filming DJ sets in some of the world's most breathtaking locations, has announced it is facing serious financial difficulties. In a statement posted today, founder Derek Barbolla described the announcement as "probably the hardest post we've ever written" and confirmed that the company's planned festival in Mexico had been cancelled. Ticket-buyers will receive automatic refunds within 24 to 48 hours, he said.

Founded a decade ago with an initial investment of just 10,000 euros, Cercle built its reputation by staging and streaming performances in extraordinary settings, from ancient monuments to mountaintops and even one of the 7 Wonders Of The World. The company produced more than 200 shows and captivated millions of viewers online, becoming one of the most celebrated event brands in electronic music.

Rising Costs and Shrinking Margins

Barbolla attributed the collapse to a convergence of pressures that had accumulated over recent years. Rising costs, increasing taxes and shrinking margins had steadily eroded the company's financial footing following the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The weight of years of betting everything on what we believed in became too much to carry," he wrote. "At some point, the balance we always managed to hold, just couldn't hold anymore."

Artists React to the News

The news arrives as a major blow to both the fans of Cercle and the artists who have graced its events. "You've created some of the most magical moments of my life," commented Ben Böhmer, who in 2020 DJed in a hot-air balloon 3,000 feet over the hills of Cappadocia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Turkey.

"Cercle was and is an inspiration for all music lovers, and made so magic moments so the scene," wrote Brazilian dance music superstar Vintage Culture, who performed a Cercle set at the stunning Museu do Amanhã in Rio de Janeiro back in 2022.

The announcement casts doubt over the future of a project that helped reshape how audiences experience live electronic music.