Lost Weekend Munich Cancels Watermelon Sessions Culture and Charity Event

On February 2, 2025, Watermelon Sessions was canceled by its hosting venue Lost Weekend, citing that the event’s name “carried symbolic meaning in a sensitive context.” Watermelon Sessions was planned as a cultural and charity event on February 15 and intended to raise funds for those in need in Congo, Palestine, and Sudan.

In an Instagram statement issued on February 2, Lost Weekend – a vegan café, bar, and live music venue in Munich – claimed that they were unaware of the symbolic meaning of the event’s name. They stated that, after “heartfelt feedback” and learning of the “unintended implications,” they “decided to cancel the event to ensure all perspectives are respected.” The venue emphasized its goals of creating “a safe, inclusive space for discussion” and of “fostering understanding rather than division,” noting that they do not “condone hate speech or harassment.”

Alberto Casas, an artist who helped promote Watermelon Sessions, responded to Lost Weekend’s statement on their Instagram. They called into question Lost Weekend’s sudden realisation of its “political stance,” pointing out that the event was clearly described as “a celebration of life, music, art, and international solidarity,” raising funds for “places that are currently suffering the most from exploitation and disregard by countries like Germany.”

Watermelon Sessions posted a statement on Instagram on February 15, stating that the cancellation came after Lost Weekend experienced “severe verbal attacks online.” They identified the inclusion of the word “Palestine” as the reason for the defamation and cancellation of the event, despite its humanitarian and artistic nature. After discussions with Lost Weekend following the cancellation, Watermelon Sessions asked the venue to make a public statement about the external pressure it faced – a request that remains unfulfilled.