Electric Zoo’s Financial Woes Now Include Vendor Nonpayment Lawsuits

In five separate lawsuits, vendors and employees accuse Electric Zoo of failing to pay them $1 million owed for the 2024 event.

Nearly a year ago, Electric Zoo‘s disastrous 2023 event landed it in the legal crosshairs of attendees who collectively filed a class-action lawsuit against its parent company, Avant Gardner. Employees and vendors have since filed five more lawsuits, alleging that the company owes them a total of roughly $1 million.

According to Gothamist, court documents show that Goldstar Staffing is suing Avant Gardner for $300,000 for cleaning and maintenance services performed during Electric Zoo 2024. Merchandise company The Bright Pursuit is seeking out over $211,000, meanwhile, and Sunbelt Rentals alleges that it is owed more than $189,000 for tools and equipment.

Last-minute hire The Laser Light Company says that Avant Gardner also owes it $130,000 for lasers installed at various Electric Zoo 2024 stages (although court filings show that the company did pay $45,000 toward their previous balance). This is all on top of at least 43 service industry professionals who say that the company owes them all or some of their wages for services performed during the event.

The court filings do show that Avant Gardner filed a lawsuit against AG Light & Sound on the grounds that they did not adequately staff their stage builds, which contributed to last year’s breakdowns. Avant Gardner withdrew the complaint without explanation.

Avant Gardner’s legal team did not respond to EDM Identity’s request for comment.

Electric Zoo, which had taken place annually since 2009, was forced to cancel the first day of its 2024 event. Some ticket holders who showed up at the gates on the other two days were turned away, and overcrowding led to stampedes that one plaintiff said made him “fear for his life.”

Organizers first announced the 2023 edition of Electric Zoo, which took place from September 1-3, in the spring of that year. They have not made any announcements to suggest that the typically three-day festival will take place in 2024.