Soulshine at Sea 3 won’t set sail as planned.
The concert cruise was slated to begin its voyage Nov. 4-8, 2025, headlined by Michael Franti & Spearhead and tracing a path from Miami to Cozumel, Mexico.
Produced by Sixthman, and billed as Soulshine at Sea 3 With Michael Franti, the event was officially sold-out back in mid-December 2024.
However, the show entered stormy waters in recent days when performers including Dispatch, Maggie Rose, Hirie, and Liz Vice pulled out. Sixthman has returned its plans to dock.
“In light of recent events, the Soulshine at Sea with Michael Franti event scheduled for November 4-8, 2025, is cancelled,” reads a statement posted to the official Soulshine at Sea’s website, noting that plans for a separate event are underway.
The artist exodus was fueled by allegations of abuse by an unnamed artist on the lineup.
Maggie Rose shared a post on her Instagram stories: “I’ve made the decision to no longer perform at Soulshine at Sea. There were some allegations made by a peer of mine about another artist on the lineup and I want to stand in solidarity with her. I hope you understand my decision and I appreciate your support.”
Another, from Dispatch reads: “We’ve decided we will no longer be performing at Soulshine at Sea. We have been made aware of deeply concerning public allegations involving another artist on the lineup and have chosen to withdraw from the event. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.”
Hirie and Lice Vice also pulled out, citing similar reasons.
Earlier, musician Victoria Canal accused a “very powerful, decades older” man in the music industry of grooming and sexually abusing her when she was 19. “This is something I’ve never spoken about publicly, and have been holding for 8 years now – it has plagued my body, spirit, and mind, in subliminal and overt ways, for my entire 20s,” Canal wrote Aug. 11 on her Instagram account.
She declined to mention his name or any specifics “because I can’t risk the financial loss or emotional terror a lawsuit would bring.”
This “experience, which lasted a little over a year, has had a years-lasting effect on my intimate life,” she writes.
As the accusations and subsequent cancellation spread on social media, Franti attempted to clear the air with a statement on an extramarital affair, a “regrettable mistake,” as he puts it.
“I come here most humbly to share my story with you,” he writes in a social post. “7 years ago I had a romantic relationship outside my marriage. It was with an artist who was touring with me. I broke my wedding vows, I broke my wife’s trust, I broke her heart and for that I am deeply sorry for the pain my actions have caused.”
Franti’s wife found out about, and “to save my marriage, we ended the relationship,” he continues. The unidentified artist continued to tour with Franti in what he depicts as a professional relationship, and after the tour ended, continued to perform with him at “several shows.”
Meanwhile, organisers of Soulshine at Sea are “actively working to announce a new event that will sail November 4-8, 2025”. Additional details will be shared today, Aug. 18.
