Sneakerheads and street-culture lovers will have to wait to get their fix of footwear, music and art from the Sole DXB crew, as the event has been cancelled for another year.
After calling off the 2020 festival because of the pandemic, the team has announced on Instagram that the 2021 iteration is a no-go, too.
"Despite our best efforts, we won’t be able to make the festival happen this year," organisers wrote to their 65,000-plus followers on the social media platform. "We’d like nothing more than to bring the community back together, but current circumstances don’t allow us to build the show we want."
The event will be back, however, organisers confirmed, "and when it is, we will make it count".
"We continue to work on what we love and look forward to sharing what we've been up to."
Whether that's the new festival or another project remains unclear.
The post received plenty of support, with one commenter, Anand S Ahuja, writing: "Responsible decision. We’ll make it up! Have a safe fall and winter."
The festival, which celebrates the best of street art, music, fashion and culture, usually takes place in December.
It has been running since 2011 and 2019's event included performances by New York hip-hop legends Wu-Tang Clan and Jamaican singer Koffee.
Every year, the street culture festival welcomes thousands of hip-hop fans, sneakerheads and fashionistas who make up vibrant crowds at Dubai Design District (D3).
Global brands work with the event to create activations and retail spaces, with the likes of Puma, Adidas, Dior and Azra appearing at the three-day festival.
Last year, the cancellation was announced in August.
"We aren't confident that we can deliver the experience you deserve with the health and safety standards we expect," organisers said. "While the situation continues to improve on the ground in Dubai, the festival is a collective effort by our community around the world and we're ready to wait until they can be a part of it, too."
See photos from Sole DXB 2019 here:
