LA Weekly’s Sips & Sweets Festival, scheduled for Thursday at the Petersen Automotive Museum, was canceled abruptly as a boycott campaign targeting the publication’s new owners spread.

The #boycottlaweekly campaign, which sprang up on Twitter and other social media earlier this week, called on Sips & Sweets sponsors to pull out of the event in the wake of last week’s mass firings of LA Weekly editorial staff by new owner Semanal Media of downtown.

Earlier Thursday, the museum issued a statement to the Business Journal saying the event would go on despite the campaign.

“We understand and respect the concerns that are held about this situation, but we also pride ourselves in honoring our commitments, Automotive Museum Executive Director Terry L. Karges said in an e-mail. “Because the ‘Sips and Sweets’ festival was booked at the museum months ago, we feel it would be unfair to participants and guests if any last-minute changes were made.”

However, a Petersen spokeswoman later confirmed that the museum had been informed by LA Weekly marketing manager Jacob Blackoff that the Dec. 14 event was being canceled.

Blackoff did not immediately return a call for comment.

For more coverage see: LA Weekly Sponsors, Advertisers Pull Out Amid Boycott

Media and entertainment reporter Diane Haithman can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @dhaithman