5th Poetry Downtown Festival Canceled Due to Copyright Restrictions

The 5th Poetry Downtown Festival is canceled—unable to proceed as Drive Music Publishing didn't grant us the copyrights to celebrate the extraordinary life and work of 'Warrior Poet'.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

5th Poetry Downtown Festival Canceled Due to Copyright Restrictions

[Rotterdam, January 24, 2025] –

Warrior Poet’, a renowned Native American poet, activist, and musician, has been an inspiration to many, and we had hoped to honor his legacy through this year’s festival.

It is with deep regret that we announce the cancellation of the 5th Poetry Downtown Festival, originally scheduled to take place from September 23 to 28, 2025. This difficult decision comes after weeks of communication with Drive Music Publishing. They own the copyrights and they don’t allow us to use ‘Warrior Poet’ work, images, songs, etc. Due to that it’s unable to celebrate the extraordinary life and work of ‘Warrior Poet’ at our festival and that’s why we decided to cancel this years celebration rather than proceed without their support.

We understand that this news will be disappointing to all, American Indians, poets, artists, and attendees who were eagerly preparing to explore ‘Warrior Poet”s work and the broader contributions of American Indian poetry and poets to today’s world. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and extend our gratitude to everyone who has supported the festival thus far.

Looking ahead, we are already planning for the 6th Poetry Downtown Festival in 2026, where we will celebrate the life and work of Allen Ginsberg, featuring his iconic poem “America, I’ve given you all and now I’m nothing.” We hope to welcome you all back for what promises to be a meaningful and inspiring event.

For further inquiries, please contact:
Erik van Loon
House Of Craziness
+316 3 826 5666