Electric Zoo’s disastrous 2023 event — which included one day cancelled and another day oversold after reaching capacity — is now causing a handful of lawsuits to pop-up.
According to Forbes, Electric Zoo organizer Avant Gardner was allegedly sued by ticket buyers in a New York State court last week for alleged false advertising, alleged breach of contract, and alleged negligence. The publication states that five plaintiffs are allegedly suing the organizer for a “late start and poor staffing,” which included long lines, massive overcrowding, and a stampede after it was announced that the show was oversold.
The plaintiffs include Billy Ting, Duoc Vo, Garry Huang, Jeffrey Wang, and Joshua Chin, who are speaking on behalf of all ticketholders who attended this year’s Electric Zoo, accusing the festival of misleading ticket buyers and allegedly failing to prevent problems that would happen during and after the event.
Forbes also noted that another concertgoer, from Connecticut, plans to sue for the dangerous levels of overcrowding at the event.
Last month, it was revealed by RollingStone that the festival is facing a class-action lawsuit from two festivalgoers, Nicole Brockmole and Lauren Blair. The pair filed the suit in a New York district court and are 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” to the festival, the publication reported.
Electric Zoo was slated to run from September 1 through 3 at Randall’s Island Park. The festival started out on a bad note when Friday’s show was cancelled just hours before opening due to an incomplete main stage amid “supply chain issues.” While the weekend went on as planned and organizers promised a “truly magical” experience, hundreds of fans were unable to enter the venue after it reached capacity on Sunday. Festivalgoers rushed the gates, turning the scene into pure chaos.
Gates down, chaos reigns on the final night of @ElectricZooNY 2023 — after valid ticket holders were told no more entry would occur after an announcement that capacity had been reached.
📷: r/electriczoo pic.twitter.com/XdXGjnxOvg
— Festive Owl (@TheFestiveOwl) September 4, 2023
According to PageSix, there was a lot more going on behind-the-scenes. An insider told PageSix that Avant Garnder 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.
While Electric Zoo promised refunds for everyone who was denied entry, the festival has remained quiet on its social media channels. In an email sent to ticketholders, organizers said that “we’re not prepared to offer specifics on the refund process at this time.”
No public announcement has been made at this time regarding refunds.
