ELECTRIC ZOO WELCOMED OVER 100,000 ATTENDEES FOR ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY
By Taylor Mims
Originally published in Billboard on September 6, 2018
Electric Zoo The Big 10 completely sold out two of its three days.
New York City’s Electric Zoo music festival hosted more than 100,000 attendees over Labor Day weekend (Aug. 31-Sept. 2) for its 10th anniversary. Held at Randall’s Island Park in New York City, Made Event’s top EDM festival sold out on Saturday (Sept. 1) and Sunday (Sept. 2) with headliners including Kaskade, Martin Garrix and Tiësto.
Electric Zoo The Big 10 attendees saw star-studded sets from over 120 acts including Marshmello, Rezz and Alesso. As well, the festival’s 10th edition featured technically enhanced main stage production with an over 160’ wide by 30’ tall curved screen, allowing Martin Garrix and Porter Robinson’s Virtual Self the opportunity to bring their major festival shows to New York City for the first time.
“Watching Electric Zoo come back strong to become, once again, a staple of the New York City electronic music scene, reminds me of Coachella when it turned the corner in 2009,” said Randy Phillips, CEO of LiveStyle, parent company of MADE Events, the producer of Electric Zoo in a statement. “Wading through the crowd on Randall’s Island, the vibe was as off-the-chart as the music our artists delivered.”
In addition to massive headliners, Electric Zoo brought curated stages throughout the weekend. On Friday, the Sunday School Grove stage featured a partnership with Anna Lunoe‘s Beats 1 Radio show Hyperhouse and AC Slater’s Night Bass. Saturday night Zeds Dead’s Deadbeats took over the Hilltop Arena for the day with sets from TroyBoi, Mija and more. L.A.’s party series Brownies & Lemonade took over the Hilltop Area on Sunday with bass-heavy sets from Gryffin, Ekali and Cray.
On the heels of the Big 10’s success, organizers Made Event and LiveStyle have announced that the EDM festival will return to New York City for Labor Day 2019.