Frustrated ticket holders for the cancelled Hey Neighbour Festival are turning to legal action and flooding social media with complaints after organisers failed to issue refunds.
The popular music event’s abrupt cancellation and subsequent silence have left many South African fans out of pocket and demanding answers.
THE HEY NEIGHBOUR FESTIVAL
The festival was initially moved to its 2025 dates from August to December, but was then officially scrapped in September.
Organisers, Glen 21 Entertainment, promised refunds would be processed by 10 October 2025. However, that deadline passed without payment for a significant number of people.
LEGAL ACTION AGAINST HEY NEIGHBOUR FESTIVAL
One fan, TikTok user @mec00lerthanu, has now filed a small claims case at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court, according to IOL.
She purchased two VIP tickets for R10,000 and expressed her frustration, stating she is a student who needs the money during exam season.
SOCIAL MEDIA BACKS MAKHE
Many others have taken to platforms X and TikTok using the hashtag #PAYBACKMAKHE to share similar stories of unresponsive organisers and missing funds.
Glen Netshipise, CEO of Glen 21 Entertainment, admitted in a radio interview that communication has been poor. Due to this, the refund process has faced unexpected challenges, according to YoMzansi.
He stated the team is “working 24/7” to process refunds but could not provide a new timeline, describing the situation as a difficult first for the company.
THE HEY NEIGHBOUR FESTIVAL’S REPUTATION
While the Hey Neighbour Festival promises a return in 2026 and says tickets will remain valid, many fans want their money back now.
With no clear communication from the Hey Neighbour Festival team and growing public anger, the future reputation of the event hangs in the balance as the backlash continues to grow.
Organisers must now urgently rebuild the broken trust with fans and make sure everyone gets their refunds.
