VidCon alternative TanaCon reportedly shut down after 20,000 fans show up

TanaCon, the rebellious alternative to VidCon set up by YouTuber Tana Mongeau almost down the street from the long-running convention, was reportedly shut down by the fire marshal after more than 20,000 fans showed up for the event.

It’s an event that people on Twitter are referring to as the new Fyre Festival.

Mongeau, who has more than 3.5 million subscribers and is extremely popular on Instagram, tweeted about the closure earlier this afternoon, announcing that it was a safety precaution that the fire marshal took following reports of fans rushing the gates.

“Everything is fine just fire marshall stuff keeping it safe,” Mongeau tweeted. “Adding a third day or if worst comes to worse I would be down to personally refund anyone still upset!!! No one expected 20,000 people my loves. We sold 5,000 tickets at a capacity of 5,000 the majority of which were free. 15,000 people showed up outside and were rushing the gates, standing in lines pretending to be vip, etc which made everything much more difficult for staff.”

Mongeau tweeted that TanaCon was being moved to a location “five minutes away” that could accommodate an additional 5,000 people. Shane Dawson, a popular YouTuber and one of TanaCon’s star guests, is reportedly working with Mongeau to produce “some awesome cool stuff.”

“It’s my first convention and obviously we aren’t ran [sic] by a giant corporation and no one expected 15,000 unticketed guests to show up and rush,” Mongeau tweeted.

An employee at Anaheim Marriott Suites, the site of TanaCon, told Polygon that the event was shut down because it became a safety hazard.

“We’re not aware at this time what’s going to happen tomorrow,” the employee told Polygon.

Mongeau originally organized TanaCon in retaliation against VidCon, citing problems with VidCon’s management following a debate as to whether she was a featured creator. TanaCon launched with the idea that no one is a “featured creator,” and brought along more than 80 YouTube creators, like Casey Neistat and Dawson, as a way to draw fans. TanaCon tickets were originally sold for $1, with VIP tickets going for $65.

There were issues with TanaCon from the get-go. Attendees were told to show up from 6-8 a.m. in order to get registered for the event. Many told Polygon that they wound up waiting for four to six hours in the sun before they ever got into the building, and weren’t given any water or information.

“I understand that this is the first year and that it was put together very quickly, so I get that there are going to be things down the road that come up,” Megan, one attendee who waited five hours in line just to get into the building, told Polygon. “There wasn’t any sort of information, or any sort of ‘this is taking a while, let’s do something to not make it so bad.’ It’s just, like, ‘This is a problem and we’re going to have to deal with it now.’

“We’re here because you told us you wanted us to be here,” Megan continued. “It kind of just seems like, ‘This is a problem, but we’re not going to do anything to help these people.’”

A vlog uploaded earlier, seen below, touches on these points.

Things weren’t much better when people moved inside the building. Attendees were ushered into one of two small rooms where they watched panels and special presentations. Those rooms quickly filled up, with people finding it nearly impossible to find standing room. Kennedy, a young Tana fan who attended the con, said she was disappointed with the event after waiting in line for three hours.

“I wanted it to be more than this,” Kennedy said. “I was really excited, and I thought it was going to be a little more. I wish there were actual rooms for VIP guests, but I’m just sitting here like everyone else. I could have just gotten a general admission ticket and I would have got the same experience. The only reason I’m here is because I spent the $65 to get here.”

A representative for the Anaheim Fire Department couldn’t offer any additional information at the time of publishing, but Polygon has reached out for more details. Polygon has also reached out to Good Times Live, Mongeau’s management company, for more information.

Update (June 23): A statement from Good Times Live on Twitter confirmed that TanaCon could not continue this weekend as is due to safety concerns. The team is asking people who are looking to get their ticket refunded to email tanacon@goodtimes.live.

“Our team has worked around the clock to find a solution to accommodate everyone safely and fairly, but at this point in time, there is no way to continue our weekend at TanaCon as is without risking the safety of all our Featured Creators,” the statement reads. “At this time, we are working on a way to make this up to every single one of you.”

The full statement can be read below.

Update 2 (June 23): Tana released a full statement later Saturday night. The thread can be read below.