Electric Zoo Festival starts 2 hours late Saturday after canceling first day of performances
NEW YORK -- There were more setbacks for the Electric Zoo Festival on Saturday.
The music festival's first day was canceled Friday, and on Saturday, its start was delayed by two hours, canceling some of the DJs' acts.
"Frustrated. It's frustrating. but we're here. Hopefully that'll make up for what we missed. Hopefully," Philadelphia resident Lauren Elliott said.
Organizers promised to start Saturday's festivities at 1 p.m., but it announced on social media, minutes before, that it had to be pushed back two hours to 3 p.m.
Dear Electric Zoo Family, First and foremost, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support...
Posted by Electric Zoo Festival on Saturday, September 2, 2023
Nikademis was supposed to start his first-ever DJ set at the festival at 1 p.m, but his act was canceled.
"It's a shame, like, I found out through social media like everyone else. There was no communication to me otherwise, and honestly, there still hasn't been much communication about what's going on," he said.
On Friday, it was the same narrative. No one was directly contacted by the festival about the cancellation; it was posted on social media in a statement highlighting "unparalleled challenges" and citing "global supply chain disruptions" that kept the main stage from being built.
Mau P, a DJ from Amsterdam, also had his set canceled and found out like everyone else.
"They put in so much hours and working, and I mean, I've seen people cry today that have been working on this festival for so long, and it's, like, heartbreaking," he said.
Some fans got single-day tickets for Friday and didn't find out it was canceled until they arrived.
"We spent all this money and came all the way out here just for us to find out that it was canceled. You know, we booked a hotel," said one fan from Stamford, Connecticut.
The festival did promise it'll fully reimburse ticketholders after Friday's cancellation and also pay for their ferry and bus fares, but some attendees who came from far say that's not enough, and they don't plan to come back.
"We want our money back and more for the inconvenience, would be very lovely," Elliott said.
"Is this your first time coming?" CBS New York's Kristie Keleshian asked.
"Yes," Elliott said.
"Would you come back again?" Keleshian asked.
"No," Elliott said, laughing.
For other fans, however, the anticipation only made them more excited.
"Feeling great. I'm glad the show is going on. Everybody's gonna have a great time, hopefully, and enjoy the show," said Joe Daguiar, from Lakehurst, New Jersey.
The festival never explained why it was delayed two hours, but construction on at least one of the stages continued into the early Saturday afternoon.