Bamboozle 2023 festival canceled in Atlantic City a week before start

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (CBS) -- A music festival scheduled for next week at the Jersey Shore was canceled after Atlantic City officials say organizers did not submit required paperwork.

The Bamboozle Festival was scheduled for May 5-7 at Bader Field. Limp Bizkit, Rick Ross, Papa Roach and Steve Aoki were set to appear.

But city officials say with about a week to go, they were still waiting on fees and necessary documents from the festival's organizers.

"We asked for this information months in advance to protect the city and taxpayers of Atlantic City," Atlantic City business administrator Anthony Swan said in a statement. "The event was fast approaching, and these issues were still unresolved."

The organizers had until 4 p.m. on April 27 to send in their insurance certificates, an emergency evacuation plan and a medical plan, as well as license fees for vendors at the festival and a facility fee.

City officials provided letters sent to an attorney for the festival organizers. They said as of Friday, they still hadn't received those documents or a signed agreement, so they were canceling the event.

"The attorney for the festival organizers has been notified … that the event is canceled consistent with our prior notice," Swan said.

Bamboozle's website has been replaced with a statement that reads:

After extensive discussions, we have made the heartbreaking decision to cancel Bamboozle 2023. An incredible amount of time, dedication, passion and hard work was invested into making this comeback a success. We appreciate everyone who supported this festival. Refunds should be requested at point of purchase.

The Ticketmaster page for the event now holds a refund notice. Ticket buyers will receive refunds automatically once the event organizer returns funds to Ticketmaster, the webpage says. "Please note: If the tickets were transferred to you, the refund will go to the fan who originally purchased the tickets from Ticketmaster," it says.

On Twitter, Papa Roach thanked fans who bought tickets to the festival.

The Bamboozle festival had previously brought top rock and hip-hop acts to Asbury Park and the parking lot at the Meadowlands.

The festival had been on hiatus since the Asbury Park event in 2012, where Foo Fighters, Bon Jovi and Skrillex headlined. More than 100 bands played across seven stages.

We reached out to the attorney for the festival organizer and will update this story if we receive a response.

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• Atlantic City
• New Jersey
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