jam fest

International Rock Festival Tbilisi Jam Fest was disrupted on Saturday (photo: Edita Badasyan)

Tbilisi, DFWatch – International Rock Festival was disrupted on Saturday on the Tbilisi outskirts after a power blackout that, the organizers believe, was probably arranged by the clergy.

The hard rock festival Tbilisi JAM!Fest  was to start at Saturday evening nearby Zahesi settlement,  inside the territory of a customs terminal and had all required permissions by authorities.

When participants and guests began to gather at the venue, a nun from a local convent approached them demanding to stop it as there was a cemetery nearby and it was not correct holding rock festival in a such place, Edita Badasyan, an Armenian journalist present at the festival said.

Then suddenly electricity failed. Organizers and guests believe it has been facilitated by the priests.

Soon a priest from the local Avchala Queen Martyr Ketevan Church arrived at the scene reiterating demands to stop the festival. Dozens of young men gathered nearby also demanding to cancel the event.

EnergoPro Georgia, electricity supplier, stated the blackout was due to the ‘technical matters’ inside the territory of the terminal.

Later the festival was denounced by the Patriarchate, the governing body of Georgian Orthodox Church.

On Sunday organizers released a statement reading that festival would resume at evening.

“Tbilisi JAM! Fest 2016 WILL be held tonight! Preventive measures (during preparational period) make us reveal the location a bit later. Get ready to have fun and lots of good music!” – the statement reads.