This weekend, the American dance music community witnessed Electric Zoo stumble in a very public and very ugly way. Throughout this year’s edition, Electric Zoo managed to go from one crisis to the next. From the first day cancelation, to 4 hour will call lines on Saturday and then the fiasco on Sunday, it was just rough all around. Fans were blowing up Ezoo socials with complaints.
After coming under the same ownership as Brooklyn Mirage, there was a lot of expectation for this year’s EZoo edition. For years, the popular festival has managed to deliver an all-around amazing event. Based on Randall’s Island, and held during Labor Weekend, this year’s edition was plagued with issues, all related to poor management.
Electric Zoo 2023: Off to a Rocky Start
Bad news tends to show up early when it comes to situations like this one. Last Friday, the day Ezoo was supposed to kick off got canceled out of the blue after reports surfaced about the construction of two of the festival stages not being concluded. Angry patrons and attendees took over to the internet to criticize the lack of professionalism shown by the festival organizers, whose sole reply was a poorly written apology blaming issues such as “the disruption of the international delivery chain” (go figure). From here on, things would only get worse
The Nightmare Continues
After canceling Friday, Electric Zoo’s 2023 edition kicked off on Saturday. Chaos, however, awaited the festival’s attendees. Patrons reported their entry was delayed, all due to waiting for up to five hours just to pick up their tickets from Will Call. One person even declared that she was only able to enjoy around 30 minutes of the actual event before day 2 was over.
Day 3, however, took the crown home for the most disastrous day of the weekend. After canceling Friday, the organizers reported they quickly reached their maximum capacity on Sunday’s edition. This forced them to halt the entrance of patrons just a couple of hours into the festival. The crowd, however, wasn’t willing to just go home and call it a weekend. The fact that you’re on an island also makes the matter more complicated. So, what did all these stranded people choose to do? Storm the gates.
Internet Reacts To Ezoo Fiasco
And how did the EDM online community react to this absolute horror circus? We’ve compiled some of the most repeated opinions for you to check out below:
Things were so bad that the festival didn’t even bother to post a “thank you” message at the end of the weekend. The last tweet from the festival was simply telling people the gates were closed. So, what are your thoughts on this year’s chaotic, and more than likely final Electric Zoo edition? Who’s to blame? We want to hear your comments on the Electric Zoo’s 2023 fiasco.
