At the Electric Zoo Festival in New York City, visitors rushed to the gate on Sunday after “unforeseen circumstances” led to ticket holders being turned away.
Video footage from the gate shows would-be concertgoers rushing towards the festival from a security checkpoint after being told the event was full.
The festival reached maximum capacity on Sunday night “due to unforeseen circumstances,” officials said, pledging to refund those left out.
It came after day one of the concert was abruptly canceled and day two started several hours late.
Fans took to social media to express their outrage, saying it was the “worst festival experience” of their lives, and calling for the organizers to be investigated.
At New York City’s Electric Zoo Festival, visitors rushed to the gate on Sunday after ‘unforeseen circumstances’ led to ticket holders being rejected
However, it was just the icing on the cake for excited festival goers, as the first day of the concert was abruptly canceled and day two started several hours late.
The security gate video shows hundreds of people rushing to the gate of the event being held at Randall’s Island.
You see people jumping on tables and running past security guards nearby. It is not known if anyone was injured or if any arrests have been made.
ABC New York spoke to festival-goers who called the incident a “stamp.”
“We just watched all the equipment, the tents and stuff get knocked over, so we didn’t know what to do. It was a crazy situation,” said John McGuire.
“And after that it was impossible to get to any of the sets. So after that last night it was hard to get out, so we thought, we might as well get out of there,” he said.
“They will refund us the money we spent, so we’re fine, as long as we’re safe, so we’re fine,” said Cicero Clamor, another participant.
At some point on Sunday, the entrances to Randall’s Island from the Triboro Bridge — which is used for pedestrians and vehicles — were closed.
In a tweet, the organizers apologized “deeply” for the chaos that ensued on day three.
The security gate video shows hundreds of people rushing to the gate of the event to be held at Randall’s Island
The gates of the event closed just hours after opening for ticket holders
Festivalgoers at Electric Zoo on Saturday, September 2
“We are so grateful for the overwhelming support and patience you have shown this year after the challenges we faced over the past weekend,” one lengthy tweet read.
“It is with great regret that we have to inform you that due to the challenges caused by Friday’s cancellation, we have reached capacity at our venue earlier than anticipated for today, Sunday.
“For the safety and well-being of everyone on site, we are not allowing any additional visitors today. If you are on your way or if you were planning to arrive later, we kindly ask you not to come to the festival site.
Your safety and festival experience remain our top priorities. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience and hope you understand that this decision has been made in the best interests of all. Refund details to follow.
Thank you for your continued love, patience and understanding. We promise we will make it up to you. Team EZOO,” the tweet ended.
Made Event, the organizers of Electric Zoo, blamed supply chain problems for the overall problems with this year’s festival.
Under EZoo’s tweet, dozens of angry users reacted to the apology and shared their outrage, calling on officials to face the consequences.
“And so dies the last E-zoo, turning thousands of paying customers away at 6:45pm,” one wrote.
“Yes, entry is closed forever as this festival will NEVER reopen after this appalling mismanagement.”
“This is outright gross negligence.” “When will we see your Netflix documentary about this fiasco?” “Biggest joke ever.”
“This was the worst festival experience of my life. as a disabled person, getting in and out of this fest was horrific. no ADA line, barely helpful medical staff, and so many overcrowded danger zones.’
“Anyone denied entry today will get their money back,” the organizers said in a tweet
Angry Twitter users took to social media to express their frustration with the festival
One person wondered whether or not he would reimburse his other expenses
“Fyre fest 2.0” commented one Twitter user
Sunday’s lockout was the third day of chaos, as the event was canceled on day one just hours before it was due to begin.
On day two, ticket holders were informed that the start time – originally 1pm – would be moved to 3pm.
The organizers stated that anyone with single day tickets for the festival would receive a refund and that multi-day ticket holders would receive a credit.
It is unclear what is the reason for the interruptions to the normal schedule.