Electric Zoo festival hit with class action lawsuit after “nightmare” 2023 edition

The organisers behind New York’s Electric Zoo festival have been hit with a class action lawsuit after a “nightmare” edition for 2023.

The news was first shared by Rolling Stone last week (September 14), which reported that two festival-goers had filed the lawsuit just over a week after the 2023 instalment, which ran between September 2 and September 3.

Here, they highlighted the tumultuous conditions faced by ticket holders over the weekend, and described the two-day event as “a nightmare endured by thousands of electronic music fans”.

According to reports, the first day was cancelled just three hours before it was set to start due to ongoing “global supply chain issues”, which reportedly prevented the construction of the main stage at the festival.

Additionally, the final day reportedly opened late and was oversold – with the full capacity being met by midday and approximately 7,000 festival-goers being prevented from entering the site, despite having valid tickets.

As shared by the outlet, the plaintiffs – Nicole Brockmole and Lauren Bair – are seeking damages on behalf of all of “all affected patrons who paid for ticket(s) for access or entry to [Electric Zoo] were not granted access”.

The lawsuit also highlights that “in addition to Friday’s cancellation”, the circumstances at the site on Randall’s Island, New York soon “turned worse for Electric Zoo fans on Sunday when they were left to languish in heatwave for hours after being greeted by never-ending lines to enter the festival and eventually denied entry because the venue was oversold and overcrowded”.

Brockmole and Blair – who are from North Carolina and Arizona respectively – were among thousands who travelled to New York for the festival, only to be denied entry. Another attendee who faced the same predicament told Rolling Stone: “I’m never coming back. Worst experience of my life.”

This year’s edition of Electric Zoo was set to be headlined by Kx5, Galantis, and The Chainsmokers, and organisers of the festival promised refunds to those who were denied entry, or a partial refund for weekend ticket holders.

NME has reached out to representatives for Electric Zoo for comment.