Resulting in cancellation, overcrowding, and turned-away ticket holders.
Photo Credit: Electric Zoo – Facebook
Electric Zoo, the three-day electronic music festival held annually in New York over Labor Day weekend, was marred by significant production and capacity issues this year. The festival, under new management, got off to a rough start by canceling the first day due to incomplete construction of the main stage. Although the event opened on Saturday, attendees reportedly waited for hours to enter the venue, and on Sunday, ticket holders were turned away because the venue was already at full capacity.
According to reports, some stages appeared to be unfinished, with broken screens and sound issues, and some attendees felt that the crowding was unsafe. Attendees also experienced delays and long wait times to pick up tickets from will-call. The NYPD estimated that Electric Zoo oversold its 42,500-person capacity by 7,000 on Sunday. In response, Mayor Eric Adams pledged to take action against Avant Gardner, the festival’s owner, for its mismanagement.
Avant Gardner, a New York-based live events promoter specializing in EDM, purchased Made Events, a promotion company that owned Electric Zoo, for $15 million in 2022. The company has issued a statement in response to the situation at Electric Zoo, stating that “while the vast majority of Electric Zoo attendees had a great experience, our job is to ensure that everyone has a phenomenal experience. We will work closely with our partners to review the planning and execution of the event from start to finish.”
The festival’s organizers have promised a full refund to people who bought tickets for Friday’s entry and a partial credit for three-day pass holders. In addition, those who purchased ferry and bus tickets to get to the festival on Friday will also receive refunds for their transportation, with prorated refunds to those with multi-day transportation plans.
Dear Electric Zoo Family,⁰
We are so thankful for the overwhelming support and patience you’ve shown this year after the challenges we’ve faced over the weekend.⁰
It is with deep regret that we need to inform you that due to the challenges caused by Friday cancelation, we have…— Electric Zoo Festival (@ElectricZooNY) September 3, 2023
