The Electric Zoo music festival in New York City turned into a debacle over Labor Day weekend as many ticket holders were turned away after the venue reached maximum capacity.
Videos circulating on social media showed attendees rushing the gate on September 3, the final day of the show, after they were denied admittance. Eventually, the electronic dance music (EDM) event on Randall’s Island was shut down early.
This came after Electric Zoo canceled the first day of the event this year, blaming it on “global supply chain disruptions,” which led to “unexpected delays” in the construction of its main stage, per an update on the official event Instagram account. They further promised attendees a “truly magical” experience for music fans arriving Saturday and Sunday.
But then chaos erupted Sunday, which ended with gates being ripped down as frustrated fans forced their way into the festival.
“We are so thankful for the overwhelming support and patience you’ve shown this year after the challenges we’ve faced over the weekend,” organizers posted on the Electric Zoo’s X account.
“It is with deep regret that we need to inform you that due to the challenges caused by Friday cancelation, we have reached our venue’s capacity earlier than anticipated for today, Sunday. For the safety and well-being of everyone on site, we will not be admitting any additional attendees today.”
The post continued, “If you are on your way or were planning to come later, we kindly ask that you refrain from coming to the festival site.” The note ended with apologies and promises of refunds.
“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,” one tweet said.
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Videos of police officers appearing to step to the side as fans rushed the gates also started circulating.
“Better security and maybe police that do their job,” one person wrote.
“When the majority started charging through, they started yelling, ‘Push,’” concert attendee Luis Diaz told Daily News.
“Whether you wanted to or not, you started getting pushed out,” he continued. “Our row was waiting to see what would happen, but we didn’t have a choice but to go in or be trampled.”
Diaz said he attended the event twice before and nothing like this ever happened before.
