The organizer of the Dongpai Folk Festival has claimed the two-day event was canceled last Wednesday because of "problems with the venue."

Liu Yaodong planned to hold the event, formerly known as the Ditan Folk Festival, on Saturday on the yard in front of Chaoyang district live music venue 2 Kolegas.

He claimed the yard is owned by proprietors of a nearby drive-in cinema, and not 2 Kolegas. The cinema's owners unexpectedly refused to approve the festival unless paperwork was filed with the local government, Liu said.  

Liu Miao, owner of 2 Kolegas, said that the yard had nothing to do with the festival's cancelation, claiming the plug was pulled for administrative reasons.

"I don't know whether it was due to limited time for the procedures or because approval wasn't granted," Liu Miao said.

Liu Yadong admitted he didn't seek government approval prior to the event because he had considered it a concert, not a music festival.

But Liu Miao said a "festival" is different from a regular live music performance.

"Because a festival attracts hundreds of people and is widely promoted ... the government keeps a closer eye on it," Liu Miao said.

Liu Yaodong originally planned to hold the festival at Ditan Park, but said the venue suddenly "canceled all commercial activity."

But an anonymous official from Ditan Park denied this claim, saying organizers had "canceled the festival themselves."

A plan to hold the festival at Chaoyang Park was also scuttled.

A press officer from the Dongcheng district cultural committee, surnamed He, said no application from Dongpai Folk Festival organizers was lodged seeking approval.

The event, the longest-running folk festival in Beijing, was to feature performances from more than a dozen acts