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Organizers of Orient festival, ‘Burning Kouch,’ announce it’s canceled

The Town of Southold successfully obtained a temporary restraining order against the camping/musical festival in Orient known as Burning Kouch, according to Supervisor Scott Russell.

“We will monitor the site tomorrow to make sure no one ignores the order,” Mr. Russell said in an email Thursday morning.

Burning Kouch is a three-day campout that is held on a 90-acre farm in Orient, a portion of which is preserved land. Mr. Russell noted that the preserved land was a key factor in the town’s decision to obtain the restraining order. The covert festival was scheduled to begin 5 p.m. Friday and end 11 a.m. Sunday.

The campout, which dates back to 2010, typically attracts between 150 and 400 people and was advertised through CouchSurfer, a hospitality website connecting travelers for places to stay. Campers were expected to travel to Orient from across the country and beyond for this weekend’s festival, according to the profiles of the some guests who were confirmed online as going.

The event organizers posted an update on the CouchSurfing page saying the event was canceled.

I deeply regret to inform everyone that Burning Kouch 2017 is canceled,” an updated message on the website said.

“The town of Southold [of which Orient is a hamlet] filed a restraining order against us. They do not want us holding this event there. We tried to fight it. We really did. The hurdles are significant,” the organizers said on the page.

It also said that they are trying to relocate the event at a campground or other locations. Organizers did not yet respond to an interview request.

Mr. Russell said at the Town Board meeting Tuesday night that town did not support this event after a concerned Orient resident brought up the disruption it has caused in the past.

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