A Montreal Venue Will No Longer Host 'Sexpo' After Fake Festival Revelations

A Montreal venue has pulled out of hosting the "biggest erotic art show in Canada," following revelations that organizers were behind a fake music festival.

"After learning of the unfortunate events linked to Groupe Cenari, Bain Mathieu had to make the decision to definitively cancel the '7th Sexposition' to be held on March 25 and 26 in our establishment," the Hochelaga venue told MTL Blog.

Previous, smaller iterations of the NSFW art show had taken place at other venues in past years. The upcoming edition promised over 1,000 artworks, along with live performances and a late-night "taboo-free" dance party.

Bain Mathieu confirmed that the venue booking — completed by a person connected to Groupe Cenari — did not indicate any foul play.

However, the same organizers were behind the freshly debunked Festival Aurora, which was charging up to $650 to catch headliners like SZA, Harry Styles and FKA Twigs in the Old Port.

A local spokesperson to MTL Blog on Friday that no such event was ever scheduled to take place. American Express, listed as a festival sponsor, also decried unauthorized use of its logo in advertisements.

Tickets for the erotic art show were available online for $15 pre-sale on a website that has since been taken down.

"The renters of our space are entirely responsible for ticket sales… We greatly deplore the circumstances and hope those affected receive compensation," Bain Mathieu wrote, later posting its statement to social media.

Groupe Cenari did not reply to a request for comment on this story before publication.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.