After months of buildup following the inaugural VidCon Baltimore in 2023, organizers abruptly canceled the event with no warning or reason, leaving fans confused and disappointed.

Set to take place from Sept. 26-29 at the Baltimore Convention Center, VidCon was an opportunity to bring the content community together, giving influencers an opportunity to network with each other and brands, as well as interact with fans. This is the only event held on the East Coast, with the flagship convention being held in Anaheim, California, in July.

In a post on social media and its website Tuesday, VidCon said that it was calling off the event to dedicate its full resources to the California convention, a reasoning that seemed incomplete to some fans who had already bought tickets to the event, along with nonrefundable hotel reservations and transportation tickets. Already purchased tickets to the event will be refunded Friday.

“Thank you for being a fan of VidCon. We will see you soon,” VidCon posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.

VidCon did not reply to multiple requests for comment via email and phone calls.

Visit Baltimore, the city’s convention and visitor’s bureau, said it spoke with VidCon before the announcement.

“so you hate the east coast,” one user who goes by @jupitereatscrayons commented on Instagram.

Kyle Barber, known across social media as @gobarber2, shared the same sentiments as many of the commenters who were frustrated with the lack of opportunities for content creators on the East Coast. He attended last year’s event, knowing that large attendance numbers were necessary for an event like this to stick on the East Coast.

Although smaller than the Anaheim event, Barber still enjoyed the ability to interact with other creators — and learned about the strong creator community based in Baltimore.

In a space where creators of color are often undermined and underpaid, the North Carolina-based Barber believes that it is important for creators on the East Coast and the South to have access to events uplifting their art, which is often intertwined with their culture.

“I think it’s very important to showcase ourselves and showcase our culture and including the East Coast and including the South in that is one way to kind of put us and our voices out there,” Barber said.

And the lack of advance notice and reasons offended some fans.

“At least give an explanation, the people who bought plane tickets and hotels already deserve at least that,” X user @TheFlamingTrash posted.

Even the Anaheim show is experiencing decline, with creators saying that its greater focus is on businesses rather than the creators themselves, and that there appears to be fewer sponsors every year. Since the pandemic, attendance has dropped by 20,000 participants since its peak.

“I do think VidCon should expand, especially to the East Coast, but lately they’ve been spreading themselves too thin, and a VidCon elsewhere won’t be up to par with what it could be,” said Kobe Angeles D’Amelio, a 24-year-old content creator from Los Angeles.

Besides speculation about low-ticket sales contributing to the cancellation, Barber discussed looking into the owner of VidCon, Paramount, which recently went through a merger with Skydance. In April, Paramount was looking into potentially selling VidCon.

Corporate restructuring aside, many users blamed the location for the cancellation. Many outsiders buy into the stereotypes of Baltimore as a violent city, and believe there is nothing worth visiting for.

Locally, Visit Baltimore focuses on uplifting the fun things to do in the city.

“VidCon 2023 was a success by all accounts, bringing thousands of fans to Baltimore. While we are disappointed to hear about VidCon’s decision to cancel VidCon Baltimore 2024, we understand their need to focus resources on their flagship Anaheim event. Baltimore has always been a city that embraces creativity, innovation, and community, and we look forward to welcoming them back in the future,” a statement from Visit Baltimore said.