Electric Zoo organisers have been hit with a class action lawsuit after a “nightmare” edition earlier this month.

The New York-based electronic music festival, which is now operated by Avant Gardner, was due to take place between 1–3 September in Randall’s Island Park but was plagued by issues.

A pair of attendees have now launched a class action over what they called “a nightmare endured by thousands of electronic music fans”.

As IQ previously reported, the first day of the festival was cancelled just three hours before it was set to start. Organisers released a statement saying “global supply chain disruptions” had impacted the festival and that “unexpected delays have prevented us from completing the construction of the main stage in time for Day 1”.

However, promoters behind the event later told Billboard that the Department of Parks & Recreation officials would not issue the permits needed to stage the event.

“[Electric Zoo] was a nightmare endured by thousands of electronic music fans”

Additionally, the final day opened late and was oversold – with the full 42,500-person capacity being met by midday and approximately 7,000 festival-goers being prevented from entering the site, despite having valid tickets.

Some fans who reached the festival site after the gates were closed decided to jump fences or run through security checkpoints as a group, joining other ticket-holding fans in mad dashes past security staff, according to reports.

The class action plaintiffs – Nicole Brockmole and Lauren Bair – are now seeking damages on “behalf of all affected patrons who paid for ticket(s) for access or entry to [Electric Zoo] were not granted access”.

“In addition to Friday’s cancellation, and perhaps more egregiously, things 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,” the lawsuit states.

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.

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.

Total costs for this year’s festival — including refund costs to fans who didn’t make it in, as well as paying Friday night performers their full fees — could total $25 million, former insiders at SFX Entertainment, which owned the festival from 2013 to 2022, told Billboard.

The festival changed hands last year after Avant Gardner, a Brooklyn music venue and nightclub, acquired Electric Zoo promoter Made Event for a reported $15 million.

The festival was launched in the US in 2009, spawning international editions in Mexico, Brazil, Japan and China.

IQ has reached out to Avant Gardner for comment.

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The first day of Electric Zoo in New York was called off hours before gates were due to open because the construction of the main stage was incomplete.

The electronic music festival, which is now operated by Avant Gardner, was scheduled to take place between 1–3 September in Randall’s Island Park.

The festival resumed late on 2 September but on the final day, concertgoers reportedly rushed the gate after organisers said that the venue had unexpectedly reached capacity and ticket holders would be turned away.

“It is with deep regret that we need to inform you that due to the challenges caused by Friday cancellation, we have reached our venue’s capacity earlier than anticipated for today, Sunday,” the organizers wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

“For the safety and well-being of everyone on site, we will not be admitting any additional attendees today.”

The festival shared on social media that they would be providing refunds, though they did not address how the event could have reached capacity prior to all ticket holders entering the venue.

Hundreds (thousands?) of people have rushed the @ElectricZooNY gates after being told that the festival had reached its capacity on the final night, and valid ticket holders would no longer be granted entry. pic.twitter.com/uJJ8XWIV1y

— Festive Owl (@TheFestiveOwl) September 3, 2023

A statement from organisers about the cancellation of the Friday read: “It is with a broken heart that we deeply regret to inform you that, despite our tireless efforts and round-the-clock commitment, we have made the painful decision to cancel the first day of Electric Zoo.”

“This year has presented unparalleled challenges for everyone. The global supply chain disruptions have impacted industries worldwide and, sadly, our beloved festival has not been immune. These unexpected delays have prevented us from completing the construction of the main stage in time for Day 1.

“While words cannot fully express the depth of our remorse about Day 1, please know that this decision was not made lightly. Your safety and experience are always paramount, and we did not want to compromise the quality and integrity of the event you truly deserve.”

Friday ticket holders will receive a full refund, while those who hold multi-day passes will receive credit for the missed day. Friday ferry and bus ticket holders will also receive a full refund.

Blanke, GRiZ, Kaskade, ATLiens, Cloonee, Galantis, The Blessed Madonna, Chris Lake and Fisher, Madeon, Kx5, Excision and more performed at Electric Zoo.

The festival changed hands last year after Avant Gardner, a Brooklyn music venue and nightclub, acquired Electric Zoo promoter Made Event for a reported $15 million.

The festival was launched in the US in 2009, spawning international editions in Mexico, Brazil, Japan and China.

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Three NYPD detectives have been charged in connection with the theft of almost $3,000 worth of champagne from the VIP area of the Electric Zoo festival.

Jonathan Gonzalez, 33 and Wojciech Czech, 44, are each charged with one count of grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, while Gonzalez and Warren Golden, 31, are both charged with official misconduct.

According to court documents and statements, the trio were on narcotics enforcement duty at the electronic music festival on Randall’s Island, New York on 3 September last year, and were in the VIP area when attendees at a nearby table had ordered bottles of Ace of Spades champagne.

It is alleged that when festival-goers stepped away from the table, Gonzalez took two of the unopened bottles – which cost a total of $2,900 – and set them on a table as he retrieved a backpack. Czech then handed the bottles back to Gonzalez, who put them into the backpack.

“In addition to the alleged theft that occurred, none of these officers stepped up and stopped this activity”

The DA’s office says the defendants were stopped by a security officer as they went into a restricted, staff-only area, and were confronted by two of the people who ordered the champagne in the VIP area – one of whom had witnessed the alleged theft.

The bottles were taken from Gonzalez’s bag and returned to the attendees, while the festival security officer notified his employer, who then notified the NYPD.

“In addition to the alleged theft that occurred, none of these officers stepped up and stopped this activity,” says Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. “Public confidence in the criminal justice system depends on members of law enforcement acting with the utmost integrity while on duty and following the same rules that apply to everyone else.”

The New York Times reports that the NYPD has suspended Golden and Czech from duty and that police officials would “initiate further discipline where appropriate”. Detectives Golden and Czech have both denied the allegations, while Gonzalez is due in court later this week.

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Electric Zoo promoter Made Event has reportedly been acquired by the investment group behind Brooklyn music venue and nightclub Avant Gardner.

Billboard reports the $15 million deal was struck earlier this month. The next edition of Electric Zoo 3.0 will take place at Randall’s Island Park in New York City from 2-4 September, headlined by Porter Robinson, Armin Van Buuren and Martin Garrix.

Launched in the US 2009, international editions of the electronic music festival have also been held in Mexico, Brazil, Japan and China. Its Cancun edition is scheduled for 1-5 December.

Made was previously part of LiveStyle, which rose from the ashes of SFX Entertainment in 2016

The promoter also has upcoming shows with the likes of Galantis, Tiesto and Above & Beyond at the Brooklyn Mirage and Alan Walker at The Grand Hall, Avant Gardner, which opened in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn in the summer of 2017.

Made was previously part of LiveStyle, which rose from the ashes of the ill-fated second incarnation of Robert Sillerman’s SFX Entertainment in 2016. SFX had acquired Made three years earlier.

In 2020, Made Events announced a strategic partnership with the Netherlands’ ID&T, aimed at expanding both firms’ events portfolios internationally. ID&T signed a partnership agreement with leading live organisation Superstruct Entertainment last year.

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The Netherlands’ ID&T, the world’s largest electric music promoter, and New York-based Made Event, the company behind leading dance music festival Electric Zoo, have announced a strategic partnership aimed at expanding both firms’ events portfolios internationally.

ID&T’s festivals include Dutch EDM mainstays Mysteryland, Awakenings, Amsterdam Open Air, Defqon.1 and Sensation, while Made’s Electric Zoo drew 110,000 attendees to Randall’s Island Park in New York over the last weekend of August 2019. Both companies are part of the LiveStyle group, the successor to SFX Entertainment.

Under the partnership, Made Event will work with ID&T’s European executive team to continue to produce Electric Zoo while and expanding its club and concert business in the New York area. ID&T, meanwhile, will help expand the Electric Zoo brand internationally, with Made working to bring in ID&T’s brands to its home market.

Adam Richman, SVP of Made Event, says: “We are honoured to be working with ID&T, the world’s most notable dance music promoter. Working together with them will allow us to take our flagship brand Electric Zoo to cities around the world.

“We can’t wait to share New York City’s No 1 festival with the rest of the globe.”

“Working together with them will allow us to take Electric Zoo to cities around the world”

Ritty van Straalen, CEO of ID&T Group, adds: “Made Event and ID&T share the same vision. We both believe in high quality experiences and want to bring the best music to market. The Made Event team, with Adam [Richman] and Kevin [Mitchell] as the inspiring leaders, have shown that they know how to create and produce successful events and premier festivals in a very competitive market.

“We are looking forward to be back in New York and working with them on new ideas.”

“Made Event will continue its ongoing expansion of our concert, club and theatre business in the New York area, and the addition of ID&T’s rich portfolio of brands will only act to strengthen this endeavour,” adds Mitchell, Made’s senior director of talent.

Other members of the ID&T Group include promoters ID&T Events, Art of Dance, Q-dance, Monumental and Air Events, booking agencies Platinum Agency and Most Wanted, and management company Headliner Entertainment. The company’s events are attended by more than two million visitors annually and sells 1.5m tickets.

Last month, the company acquired Missin’ Link, a Rotterdam-based urban booking agency.

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Randy Phillips, the man who helped to salvage SFX Entertainment post LiveStyle rebrand, is stepping down as the company’s chief executive, as first reported by Billboard.

Phillips will stay on at LiveStyle as a consultant to investors, as the company prepares to sell off several of its assets.

The former LiveStyle boss will now focus on managing US boy band Why Don’t We, whom he states “are really starting to take off”.

Phillips took over the running of Robert Sillerman-founded SFX Entertainment in early 2017. The company had become insolvent two years after launching and Phillips was brought onboard to turn it around as the company emerged from bankruptcy. He led the dance music behemoth, rebranded as LiveStyle, for three years.

In just one year, Phillips turned losses of US$30 million into earnings of $20m.

Randy Phillips, the man who helped to salvage SFX Entertainment post LiveStyle rebrand,  is stepping down as the company’s chief executive

“I was given my mission and I fulfilled my mission,” says Phillips. Under his leadership, LiveStyle sold assets including Paylogic to Vivendi and a minority stake in Rock in Rio to Live Nation and axed the US-leg of festival Mysteryland.

During Phillips’ tenure, LiveStyle made a number of high-profile hires, including Hard Events founder Gary Richards (president, North America), ex-Universal Music Group executive Chris Monaco (chief revenue officer) and NRG Productions founder Neil Ryan (senior vice president and head of North America production).

Prior to his work at LiveStyle, Phillips served as chief executive of AEG Live.

LiveStyle produces dance music festivals including Electric Zoo, Defqon.1 and Awakenings, operating through promoters and entertainment companies including Made Event and All My Friends in the United States, ID&T in the Netherlands and majority DEAG-owned I-Motion in Germany.

SFX founder Sillerman was recently charged with fraud in relation to his online publishing business, Function(x).

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Electric Zoo: Countdown Shanghai, the first iteration of the electronic dance music (EDM) festival in mainland Asia, has been hailed as a success by promoter Made Event after selling out in its maiden year.

The festival, which joins the flagship event in New York and spin-offs in Mexico and Japan, took place last Saturday (12 November) at Shanghai’s Expo Park (pictured) and was headlined by Sander van Doorn, Dada Life and Oshi.

After selling out its entire allocation of 5,000 tickets, SFX-owned Made’s director of marketing, Michael Julian, says the festival will return bigger and better in 2017.

“Local fans have really inspired us with their endless energy, big warm smiles and groovy dance moves. We can’t wait to return and produce a bigger version of our festival next year”

“We are very humbled that the very first Electric Zoo show in Shanghai has sold out,” he comments. “Local fans have really inspired us with their endless energy, big warm smiles and groovy dance moves. We can’t wait to return and produce a bigger version of our festival next year.”

Electric Zoo New York, on Randall’s Island, posted its highest audience figures since 2013 this year, despite ongoing financial problems for parent company SFX Entertainment.

China has the potential to be a huge growth area for Western promoters: A Nielsen study found in February wealthy Chinese are more willing to spend on live music than the average American.

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Electric Zoo, Made Event’s New York EDM festival, is following Electric Daisy Carnival to mainland Asia with the launch of its first event in China.

Electric Zoo: Countdown Shanghai, which takes place on 12 November at Shanghai Expo Park, will be produced in partnership with Shanghai-based distribution/promotion outfit Kanjian. No line-up has yet been announced, although SFX-owned Made promises “world-class artists and performers”.

“Following the success of Electric Zoo New York 2016 we felt the perfect next move was to continue the expansion of the festival to new markets,” says Adam Richman, festival director and Made Event’s senior vice-president in New York. “We couldn’t have picked a more exciting market – Shanghai – or a better partner, Kanjian. Electric Zoo Countdown is the perfect introduction of our brand to China and will be the stepping stone to bigger editions of Electric Zoo throughout Asia.”

“Electric Zoo Countdown is the perfect introduction of our brand to China and will be the stepping stone to bigger editions of Electric Zoo throughout Asia”

The festival recently expanded to Japan and, closer to home, Mexico.

“Kanjian, meaning ‘to be seen’, is committed to bringing the world’s best music to China,” adds Kanjian’s CEO, the ominous-sounding Mr Shen. “The music industry is about to take a tremendous leap forward in the name of EDM, and we’re proud to lead the way and introduce the world-class Electric Zoo experience to China. In close cooperation with SFX, one of the largest producers of live events and entertainment content, we aim to propel the festival to a whole new level.”

Here’s a poster:

At the time of its bankruptcy in February, SFX owed Made Event around US$10 million.

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While troubled dance music group SFX Entertainment waits for court approval of its revised post-bankruptcy restructuring agreement, at least one of its festivals is going from strength to strength: The eighth Electric Zoo, held in New York last weekend, saw its highest attendance since 2013 and a sold-out Sunday that crammed 33,000 EDM fans onto the mile-square Randall’s Island in Manhattan.

In total 83,000 people attended the three-day festival, which had a ‘Wild Island’ theme – most obviously in the giant cobra looming over the main stage and the octopus-shaped Riverside stage – and featured headline performances by Tiësto, Hardwell, The Chainsmokers, Bassnectar, Porter Robinson and Steve Aoki.

“We thank New York City and the electronic music community for another massively successful weekend on Randall’s Island,” says Adam Richman, the festival’s director and senior vice-president of SFX-owned promoter Made Event. “SFX is proud to be a part of this unbelievable atmosphere and looks forward to the challenge of topping this weekend when we return for another festival next year.”

“This was an incredibly important time for all of us… We met a big milestone this year and look forward to working ever harder to exceed expectations for next year”

Michael Julian, Made Event’s director of marketing, adds: “This was an incredibly important time for all of us as we re-imagined Electric Zoo to give the community an immersive experience. This festival represents the best of any electronic music event globally while keeping our hearts rooted in New York dance floors. We met a big milestone this year and look forward to working ever harder to exceed expectations for next year.”

Randall’s Island is also home to newly Live Nation-owned Governors Ball and rival AEG Live festival Panorama.

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