The St. Augustine-based company behind Palatka’s embattled Blue Crab Festival has once again postponed the “As If 90s Fest” — marking the event’s third delay.
Several frustrated ticket holders reached out to The Citizen in recent weeks, citing a lack of communication, ongoing postponements, and a non-functioning website.
“What is going on here?” the purchaser said. “Posts are being taken down, there’s no answers, nothing.”
As of Tuesday, the official Facebook page still listed the event date as June 21, but the post had not been updated since April 28.
Further raising concerns, public calendars for two musical acts billed to appear — C+C Music Factory and Sisqó — showed them booked in different cities on the same day the St. Augustine festival was scheduled.
When contacted by The Citizen, event organizer Jeanetta Cebollero of Ancient City Entertainment confirmed that it would no longer take place on June 21.
“Due to circumstances beyond the control of organizers, the 2025 As If 90s Festival will not be taking place on June 21 as presently scheduled,” Cebollero said in a Tuesday statement. “A new date for the fall of 2025 is in the process of being finalized.”
She added that the rescheduled event will be held at the St. Johns County Fairgrounds.
The event was initially slated for Francis Field in St. Augustine before a new location was announced last month.
“Formal communication to all vendors, ticket holders, sponsors, and other stakeholders will take place as soon as reasonably possible once the new date has been finalized,” the statement continued. “All current ticket holders will be refunded no later than June 14.”
This latest postponement comes as Cebollero faces scrutiny over her handling of the recent Blue Crab Festival in Palatka, which drew widespread complaints online.
Attendees reported high prices — including $50 for a crab leg — a lack of vendors, and the absence of the carnival that had previously been a hallmark of the event.
Cebollero blamed Palatka city officials for the shortcomings, saying they failed to deliver promotional and logistical support.
“The City of Palatka chose to make some very distinct changes regarding the footprint of the festival to appease the merchants of St. Johns Ave,” Cebollero said on Facebook. “They also voted to not allocate any marketing dollars to the event this year from the Tourism Development Council, which has been crucial in the past.”
City representatives, however, said their role was limited and denied responsibility for pricing or vendor decisions.
