Ticket holders for last year’s Electric Zoo festival on Randall’s Island are finally about to get their refunds — or at least some of them are.
Nearly nine months after the 2023 edition of the electronic music festival descended into overcrowded chaos and a partial cancellation, the festival’s organizers — who also own the troubled Brooklyn Mirage and Avant Gardner in East Williamsburg — published a message saying refunds will be processed by July 19.
“We know we let you down,” reads the message, which was posted to Electric Zoo’s social media channels. “As we continue forward, we will work every day to earn back your trust and forgiveness.”
But not everyone will be getting a refund. Those who filed a dispute or chargeback with their credit card company won’t be eligible, according to the organizers' statement.
What happened at Electric Zoo 2023?
In short, it was a mess.
The first day of the three-day festival — a once-venerable showcase of electronic music — was set for Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. But the opening day was abruptly canceled just hours before it was set to begin, because New York City inspectors declined to issue permits after the festival struggled to build its main stage in time.
The festival's second day was delayed by a few hours and marred by long will-call lines that left some people waiting for hours. The third day, Sept. 3, suffered from overcrowding, with the NYPD estimating that Electric Zoo oversold its 42,500-person capacity by more than 7,500 tickets.
Chaos ensued when city authorities ordered the festival grounds closed. An estimated 1,500 ticket holders who were denied entry rushed the gates.
How much of a refund can I expect?
That depends on the type of ticket you purchased and whether you were admitted to the third day of the festival.
According to Electric Zoo’s message, those who had a ticket for Sept. 1 will get a full refund for that day. So if you had a Friday, single-day ticket, you’ll get a 100% refund. If you had a two-day ticket, you can expect a 50% refund. And if you had a three-day ticket, you get a 33% refund.
Three-day, general admission ticket holders paid anywhere from $179 to $329 for their pass, depending on when they purchased their tickets. VIP ticket holders paid upwards of $1,000.
The refunds get more complicated for Sept. 3 attendees. Only festivalgoers who had a ticket but didn’t have it scanned on Sept. 3 will get a refund, following the same formula as the Sept. 1 refunds, according to Electric Zoo. If your ticket was scanned, you’re out of luck.
How do I get my money back?
You’ll have to fill out a form.
Those who are eligible for a refund started receiving an email with further instructions. The instructions note that attendees must fill out an attached Google Form by the end of July 2 to get their money back.
“If you do not submit a request before the deadline, you will not be entitled to a refund,” the Google Form stated.
What if I filed a dispute with my credit card company?
According to Electric Zoo’s message, it means you aren’t eligible for a refund.
In the months that followed the partial cancellation, scores of ticket holders took to Reddit to document their chargeback attempts. Some were successful in getting their money back via their credit card company. Others weren’t and had their chargebacks denied.
Electric Zoo’s message says that only those who “have not filed a dispute/chargeback” are eligible. That seems to suggest it includes those who filed a chargeback but were denied.
Avant Gardner’s press team did not immediately return an email seeking clarification on Thursday.
What’s next for Electric Zoo?
That’s anyone’s guess. But at this time, there have been no signs of any preparations for a 2024 version of the festival — at least on New York City property.
Electric Zoo’s owners, including Juergen Bildstein and other investors who own the Avant Gardner complex, have a history of overselling events. At times, they've sold as much as 33% more tickets than their venue’s capacity, Gothamist reported.
Last year, Mayor Eric Adams said the city would be “dealing with” the festival's organizers, whom his administration had supported just months earlier in a dispute with the state Liquor Authority. But no enforcement action has been taken since then.
After the chaos of the 2023 festival, attorneys filed a handful of class-action lawsuits against Electric Zoo and its owners. Those cases are still ongoing.
Electric Zoo went months without communicating with its ticket holders about potential refunds — until its organizers broke their silence earlier this week.
