Best Friends Forever going on “pause” in 2026 as venue becomes a parking lot

After two editions at Downtown Las Vegas Events Center, second-wave-emo-centric festival Best Friends Forever has announced that it’s going on “pause” and won’t happen this year. The news comes as the venue is mostly shifting to operating as a parking lot; a statement from its spokesperson to Las Vegas Weekly reads, “For the past decade, the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center has been a hub for unforgettable concerts, festivals and community moments that helped energize and shape Downtown. As the neighborhood continues to grow, the demand for accessible, everyday parking has become a pressing need for locals and visitors. To ensure this space benefits the community year-round, we’re transforming a portion of the venue into a well-lit, clean and convenient self-parking lot. DLVEC will continue to welcome large format events, preserving its role as a destination for standout entertainment.”

DLVEC is owned by Derek and Greg Stevens, who also own The D, Golden Gate, and Circa, and in a phone call on Saturday, Vice President of Operations of Circa, Jeff Victor, told Las Vegas Review Journal, “The revenue potential of parking is greater than live entertainment, which is a tough damn business. Entertainment is perilous, and add to that it’s an outdoor venue. It’s just tough to make money.”

As for BFF, they emphasize their intentions to return in 2027. Their statement reads:

We’ll be right back!

Hi friends! We have loved sharing the past two years with all of you at Best Friends Forever Music Festival. This fest means the world to us and we appreciate all of the fans and artists who helped make these first two editions truly special.

As you may have heard, our host venue the Downtown Las Vegas Event Center will no longer be functioning as a regular venue. Due to this unexpected change, we have made the call to pause in 2026.

The good news: our team has already begun working on bringing Best Friends Forever back to you in 2027. We are in the early stages of planning the what / w hen / where and there isn’t much to share at the moment. However, we are hoping to come back with some nice changes (dare we say, surprises) and present to you the third edition of Best Friends Forever that will be well worth the wait.

Stay tuned.