The agent responsible for booking the planned headliner for the the Bimbé Cultural Arts Festival said he plans to give back the $37,000 the city of Durham paid him.
The city of Durham on Thursday provided copies of the signed contracts and payment details to Christopher Weeks, the booking agent hired to secure R&B singer Monica's appearance.
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Monica was featured in advertisements and previews of Saturday's event, but on a social media she said she hadn't been booked.
Weeks' contract details the following payments from the city of Durham:
- Jan. 26, 2024: $8,500
- Feb. 2, 2024: $11,500
- March 22, 2024: $8,500
- April 12, 2024: $8,500
Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams said that the city is actively working to get back the money from Weeks, who said he plans to return it.
"I had a contract for Monica to perform through one of her booking agents," Weeks said in a statement. "She didn’t perform and the fees are due back [Friday].
"Once received, I will return it to the city and put this unfortunate incident to rest. I hate that it happened because I understand and respect the importance of Bimbé, which is why I have wanted to participate over the past few years … successfully, until now."
Williams said Monday an investigation would begin into how organizers and the planned headliner for the Bimbé Cultural Arts Festival got their wires crossed.
"We’re starting to look into everything today," Williams said Monday morning. "We just wanted to get through the weekend. I’ve requested an investigation to find out what actually happened. I’m unsure of that timeline as of right now."
Williams said for an event like Bimbé, the city works with a third-party company to arrange a booking.
More than 3,000 showed up to the festival on Saturday at Rock Quarry Park.
Monica posted a video on her Facebook page.
"Unfortunately, they are sharing that I was booked to perform today, which is absolutely untrue and impossible," Monica said Saturday. "I am about to perform here in Rochester and [Sunday] I'll be in Baltimore."
Monica said she was never booked for the festival, but that she would have loved the opportunity.
"I want to personally apologize to anyone attending the Bimbé festival, assuming I would be there or reading that I would be there," she said.
Durham Parks and Recreation, the city agency that organized the festival, said they had been working with a trusted booking agent who had given them the impression since Jan. 19 -- and then reaffirmed on Feb. 9 -- that arrangements had been secured for Monica to appear.
"I never like to cancel, [but] that's not what this is," she said on Instagram. "I was never contacted."
Williams said that in 50 years of existence Bimbé had never had this happen before.
"I called the Parks and Rec director and he said, 'Yes, we're aware of it, we're talking to her team now. We should be fine,'" Williams said Monday. "I landed from Dallas to Atlanta and was like 'we're good.' I landed from Atlanta to Raleigh-Durham (and) 'we're not good.'"
Williams said a criminal investigation into fraudulent activity could be possible, depending on what the internal Parks and Recreation investigation unearths.
Mayor Pro Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton told WRAL News on Saturday that the city is still "chasing down the facts."
"Folks should know, first of all, we're a city. We've got a lot of smart people who work for us," he said. "We're not out a bunch of money (and) we're going to get any money we've spent back."
The Durham Parks and Recreation Department provided the following statement on its Facebook page.
"We are deeply disappointed with this turn of events and are working fervently to determine how this happened. We sincerely apologize to guests who attend Bimbé and enjoy our festival. Despite this setback, Bimbé will still proceed as planned today, with a lineup filled with exceptionally talented regional performers. We also look forward to honoring two special individuals with the Homegrown Hero award as part of today's festivities and hope that you will join us in embracing the spirit of Bimbé."
Williams says he's working with city staff to get to the bottom of where the miscommunication occurred.
"Evidently, there are two representatives speaking on behalf of Monica," Williams said in a statement. "The city of Durham has a contract with her team and the staff are working these matters out."