Middletown, Lincroft

Apr 30, 2018

Gratitude Migration is Not Coming Back

Photo by Brittany NO FOMO

Gratitude Migration brought culture, art, music and community to Keansburg, New Jersey for the past three years. With a heavy heart, they announced that they will not be returning.

The Journal NJ reached out to the festival coordinators asking for a statement. “Gratitude Migration will not be producing any future events and this (Facebook) page will soon focus on promoting the interests of our artists and past contributors.” A spokesperson stated.

After the 2017 festival, many performers did not get paid for their time. The event eventually filed for bankruptcy.

Many residents were pleased to have the festival select Keansburg as its location and the community became involved. Attendees and volunteers painted murals around town, cleaned the beach and supported local businesses.

The following statement is prominent on the homepage of their website: “Gratitude Migration is dedicated to leaving a lasting impact on the environment and local communities, so we take Leave No Trace (LNT) one step further with a Leave A Positive Trace (LAPT) ethos.”

“I think it’s a great opportunity for the town having people from all over experience our little piece of heaven,” wrote Kimberly Ann in her Facebook review of the festival. “And bringing in business to all our local stores is beneficial. I live right off of Beachway and the music may be a little annoying but it’s only for three days. Rock on.”

While many residents are heartbroken to hear the news, many are also happy.

“I live in the area and I can say that last year was my first year living here and during this event I did not sleep because of the noise…It was horrible….maybe this event should be held at Sandy Hook where there aren’t any people living close by,” commented Judith Bunting on Facebook.

For more information about Gratitude Migration, visit migratewith.us.