Electric Zoo is now facing a class-action lawsuit from two festivalgoers after its disastrous 2023 event.
The festival, which was slated to run from September 1 through 3 at Randall’s Island Park, however, the first day of the festival was cancelled due to “supply chain issues” leading to an incomplete stage. Then, although organizers promised a “magical” remaining two days, the final day of the festival was oversold, leaving thousands of ticketholders unable to enter.
Now, the festival has been slapped with a class-action lawsuit from two attendees, according to RollingStone. The festivalgoers, Nicole Brockmole and Lauren Bair, filed the suit in a New York district court on Wednesday, September 13, seeking damages on “behalf of all affected patrons who paid for ticket(s) for access of entry to [Electric Zoo] who were not granted access,” the publication reports. The pair noted in the suit that this year’s edition for the festival was “a nightmare endured by thousands of electronic music fans.”
Electric Zoo has not returned RollingStone’s request for comment on the suit.
While the festival promised refunds for those who either held Friday passes or missed Sunday’s show, no information has been released. Ticketholders reportedly received an email from the festival this week, according to the festival news site FestiveOwl, where organizers admitted, “we’re not prepared to offer specifics on the refund process at this time.”
According to PageSix, there was a lot more going on behind-the-scenes. An insider told PageSix that Avant Garnder, who purchased Electric Zoo last year, was at the root of the issues caused during this year’s festival, noting that “they bought the festival, and then fired everyone who ran Electric Zoo, and then rehired everyone once they found out they really couldn’t put it on.” The source also told PageSix that all of the “senior people” running the festival were let go.
As for Friday’s cancellation, the same source revealed to PageSix that supply chain issues weren’t really at hand here; instead, the festival waited until “very late in the game” to begin planning and “were not reserving trucks, equipment, inventory, putting stages together.”
No matter the reason for the cancellation, festivalgoers are not happy, and the festival has yet to make a public announcement, apology, or plan for refunds.
