Mexico City’s AXE Ceremonia Shuts Down After Two Photographers Die in Crane Collapse
Mexico City’s AXE Ceremonia festival was shut down over the weekend after a crane collapsed, killing two photographers.
The festival was originally set to run from April 5 to 6 at Parque Bicentenario. During the first day of the festival on Saturday, a large gust of wind caused a crane holding a decorative metallic object to fall in the middle of Meme Del Real’s set around 5:30 p.m., killing two photographers on-site.
Local authorities said the photographers, Miguel Angel Rojas and Berenice Giles, “received pre-hospital care at the scene, and were later urgently transported to the hospital, where they unfortunately passed away.”
“With deep sadness, we confirm the passing of the two people who were injured during today’s incident,” AXE Ceremonia said in a statement. “We are deeply heartbroken by this loss. We are reaching out to their families to support them during this incredibly difficult time and to provide them with all our care and solidarity. The safety of our community has always been our priority, and we continue, as from the very beginning, to maintain close collaboration and complete transparency with the authorities.”
The festival continued festivities on Saturday, however, organizers and the local mayor decided to cancel Sunday’s show, which was set to include performances from acts like Tyler, the Creator, Massive Attack, and The Marias.
“The teams from the Miguel Hidalgo Government and Legal Affairs, along with the borough’s Civil Protection department and the Administrative Verification Institute of Mexico City, completed the inspection and placed suspension seals at the entrances to AXE Ceremonia in Bicentennial Park,” the local mayors office said in a statement. “Therefore, the event this Sunday, April 6, is suspended.”
At this time, festival organizers have not revealed details regarding the crane collapse or why festivities continued on Saturday after two people were killed.
Festivalgoers called-out organizers, claiming negligence for the deaths of Rojas and Giles.
Ojalá se los lleve la verga a todo su puto equipo de mierda y que no puedan organizar otro festival en sus vidas. Que ni un pinche cumpleaños les permitan organizar. Son unos pendejos y en sus manos está la sangre de esas dos personas. No fue tragedia, es negligencia pic.twitter.com/OkTXCCMIum
— Mclbn (@elmimac) April 6, 2025
Se dice NEGLIGENCIA, pendejos de mierda pic.twitter.com/LvAbkDKhJt
— davidd (@FpsDavidd) April 6, 2025
Y cuándo van a explicar por qué sus pinches grúas elevadas no estaban en sus planes cuando se llevó a cabo la revisión de protección civil? Se lo sacaron de los huevos el mismo día y vean lo que pasó, son una bola de irresponsables!!! pic.twitter.com/kv1TVV9ptp
— Pandytumbada 🧷 (@eternacassiopea) April 6, 2025
No basta con suspender ni reembolsar. Miguel Ángel Rojas y Berenice Giles murieron por negligencia. No fue un “incidente lamentable”; fue una tragedia evitable. Y alguien tiene que asumir la responsabilidad.
¿Quién autorizó que @ecoenvivo_ organizara un festival masivo en un…
— charlybrown (@itscarloschavez) April 6, 2025
Usar una plataforma elevadora como base para sostener un adorno, es la cosa más mediocre, irresponsable, estúpida y negligente que se les pudo ocurrir.
— мëд (@lgrieveinstereo) April 6, 2025
Organizers further shared their condolences on Monday morning:
“The organizers of the Ceremonia 2025 Festival wish to express our deepest condolences for the tragic deaths of Citlali Berenice Gilles Rivera and Miguel Ángel Rojas Hernández, who lost their lives in the tragic accident last Saturday.
From the very beginning, we have been by the side of their families, providing all the support and assistance we could during this difficult time.
We want to reiterate our commitment to be there for them, not only today, but every step of the way they must navigate this painful process. Likewise, we have been working hand in hand with the authorities and collaborating with all required requests. This unfortunate event deeply saddens us as a community and further commits us to review and strengthen our civil protection and security protocols in order to prevent something like this from happening again.
We also express our solidarity with the media outlet Mr. Indie, to which Berenice and Miguel Ángel belonged. The work of journalists has always been an essential part of the festival’s history. The loss of two members of this profession, whose work significantly contributes to the event’s coverage and dissemination, fills us with sadness and reflection.
On behalf of the entire Ceremonia Festival team, we send our deepest condolences to their families, friends, and colleagues. We share their grief and join in mourning this irreparable loss.”
