The TomorrowWorld Music Festival has become known as one of the greatest events in dance music, with nine stages and over 100 DJ’s. However, the last day of the event did not go as planned for thousands who ended up locked out of the event and stranded with no way to get out. In this case, the source of problem had nothing to do with the bands, but a volatile combination of weather and poor planning that left thousands of young concert goers stranded on an 8,000 acre farmland after paying premium price for tickets. With disturbing photos of people sleeping on police cruisers, trash, and along the side of the road in wet grass, the three-day festival became a nightmare on Saturday night for the thousands who were denied access.
TomorrowWorld Music Festival
For the 40,000 or so who camped on-site and stayed for the duration of the three-day music festival, TomorrowWorld was the epic celebration of dance music that it’s become known for. The event features dozens of the most prominent talents in dance music, and in its first year, 2013, was nominated as the Best Music Event from the International Dance Music Awards. This year’s lineup included dance music legends like David Guetta, Tiesto, and numerous others, but the harsh weather and photos of stranded young people are what garnered the most publicity at the 2015 TomorrowWorld Music Festival.
What Went Wrong?
The problems began on the night of Saturday, September 26, as all transportation was stopped for those leaving and entering the festival. As the rain picked up in intensity, access to parking lots and surrounding areas became difficult to maneuver through due to the mud, and flooding in some areas. This is when the organizers decided to close all the gates, stranding over 10,000 people on long, rural roads leading to and from the venue. Many of the photos caused uproar on social media, as they showed groups of young people laying in wet, dirty conditions trying to leave the festival. Among the complaints of infuriated attendees are that they spent over $1000 for tickets to then be denied access to the festival, transportation that was promised was cancelled, and they were stranded in the 8,000 acres of harsh, Georgia farmland.
Poor Planning by TomorrowWorld’s Organizers
It began as one of the world’s most popular EDM festivals, but became a nightmare for thousands who became stranded on the third day of TomorrowWorld. While the weather worsened by Saturday, the real problems resulted from poor decision-making from the organizers. By cancelling all transportation, they basically abandoned over 10,000 ticket-holders to fend for themselves in the 8,000 acres of farmland just Southwest of Atlanta, Georgia.
What are the Organizers Doing to Fix the Issues?
Refunds are currently being offered for those who had tickets for day three of the TomorrowWorld Music Festival. However, some people who paid ahead of time for hotels and other expenses are claiming that the refund does not begin to cover their damages. With thousands of people unexpectedly stranded in a swampy environment due to poor planning and weather, rumors of a class action lawsuit are circulating on social media. Although TomorrowWorld’s organizers have released an official apology, it doesn’t begin to resolve the issues that occurred over the weekend. With many ticket-holders still very upset, there is little doubt that this will be a financial disaster for SFX Entertainment, who are the ones responsible for thousands of dollars in refunds, as well as potential lawsuits due to the decisions that led up to the disastrous event.
