Last September, just hours before the massive, three-day electronic music festival Electric Zoo was set to begin, the first day of festivities was canceled. The second two days went on as planned—sort of. The venue reached capacity earlier than expected on the final day of the festival, turning ticket-holders away from the gates.

Now, 10 months later, the festival has posted on social media for the first time, offering apologies and details about how to get a refund. 

RECOMMENDED: NYC’s best summer music festivals of 2024

The team behind Electric Zoo posted that they “know it has been some time since our last communication and we sincerely apologize for the delay. You deserve answers, and we are now able to provide you with an update.”

See Tickets, the exclusive ticketing provider for Electric Zoo 2023, is set begin issuing refunds to all remaining eligible ticket holders. 

Who’s eligible for a refund?

If you’re eligible, you’ll be contacted via email, per Electric Zoo’s post. That email will contain additional instructions so you can get a refund processed by July 19, 2024. 

Specifically, the following ticket holders are eligible:

1. If you had a single or multi-day ticket for Friday, September 1, 2023, and have not filed a dispute/chargeback, nor previously received a face-value refund (100% for Friday single-day ticket holders; 50% for two-day ticket holders and 33% for three-day ticket holders).

2. If you had a single or multi-day ticket for Sunday, September 3, 2023, and were unable to access the event (as determined by entry scan data), and have not filed a dispute/chargeback, nor previously received a face-value refund (100% for Sunday single day ticket holders; 50% for two-day ticket holders and 33% for three-day ticket holders).

What do fans think?

Fans are, unsurprisingly, not thrilled. 

Musician 3LAU replied to the festival’s post on Instagram saying, “It’s been 9 months since the festival this is absurd. Def never playing again if it even survives (doubtful).” A fan wrote, “They’re not offering refunds to everybody it’s very specific qualifications. It’s actually DISGUSTING of you guys to take this long after putting thousands of lives in danger.”

On a lighter note, other fans replied, “I’m still at the Ezoo will call line” and another said they’re “Still waiting for the Netflix documentary.”

What happened exactly?

Let us catch you up. In 2023, Electric Zoo had intended to “create a completely leveled-up experience that included new stage concepts, enhanced production, and so much more” on Randall’s Island. But clearly, that didn’t work out. 

The festival was organized by the team behind Avant Gardner, a music complex in East Williamsburg, Gothamist reported. Event organizers blamed supply chain issues, as they were unable to complete construction of the main stage before show time. At that time, they vowed to offer refunds to ticket-holders who were affected.

But many fans pointed out that even a ticket refund wouldn’t cover the full cost of flights, hotels, and outfits only to be informed of the cancellation mere hours before the show. 

Lawsuits mounted basically right away. In a lawsuit, one plaintiff said the overcrowding caused him to “fear for his life,” per Forbes.

The festival is one of the most respected and beloved in the EDM community, and performers for the first day included massive names like Kx5, Kaskade, Excision, Madeon, Galantis, The Blessed Madonna, Griz, The Chainsmokers, and HoneyLuv.

What’s next for Electric Zoo? 

It’s hard to say, exactly. Event organizers were apologetic in their message saying, “We know we let you down.” 

But they also haven’t announced any details about future festivals. We’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, Electric Zoo’s team says: As we continue forward, we will work every day to earn back your trust and forgiveness.”

* This article was originally published here

The F train is not exactly world-renown for its reliability and, this summer, it’s about to get a lot less reliable if you live in Southern Brooklyn. For eight weekends, the F train will be suspended as the MTA works on much needed renovations on the line’s nearly century-old communication system.

The repairs will allow trains to run faster and closer together, making the F line more efficient overall once the work is done, according to amNY. Until then, commuters in that part of Brooklyn will have to come up with alternative modes of transit. 

RECOMMENDED: These 13 subway stations are getting an upgrade this summer

The delays are going to impact F train stops between Church Avenue and Coney Island. 

The closures will begin on the weekend of Friday, July 5 until Monday, July 8. The train will then run regularly for the rest of July before getting suspended again on the weekend of August 9 and during every subsequent weekend after that until September 3. The only weekend in August that the train will not be suspended will be the weekend of August 30. 

If you rely on that route, there will be a free bus shuttle service between Church Avenue and Coney Island, but make sure to account for traffic and longer travel times than you would if you were taking the subway on a regular day. 

If you’re just trying to get to Coney Island from Manhattan or other parts of the city, you can also take the D, N, and Q trains. 

The F train is already considered one of the least reliable subway lines in the entire system, according to a poll taken by the MTA. Out of the dozens of trains lines, it was found to be the one with the most delays, with just a 71% timeliness rate. Translation: it’s only on time two-thirds of trips.

Although the disruptions are sure to cause issues to many commuters, we hope the repairs will actually fix long-standing problems and, perhaps, work on the F train’s horrible reputation. 

* This article was originally published here

Renting in NYC is pretty grim, and it’s about to get even worse for the nearly two million tenants living in rent stabilized apartments.

The Rent Guidelines Board has officially approved rent hikes that will raise one-year stabilized leases 2.75% and two-year stabilized leases 5.25% effective starting October of this year. It was approved in a 5-4 vote.

The rent hikes are not only the third year in a row that rents are increasing on stabilized apartments, but also the third year it’s been done under Mayor Eric Adams’ administration.

Last year rents on one-year leases were raised 3% and two-year leases were raised by 2.75% for the first year and 3.2% for the second year. The year prior, rents on one-year leases were raised 3.25% and two-year leases were raised 5%, accounting for the largest stabilized rent hike since 2013.

On the flip side, the Rent Guidelines Board voted to freeze stabilized rents more than once under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, and even when rents were raised during his term, 1.5% for one-year leases was the highest it increased.

Inflation and the increased cost of living is the reason behind the rent hike, according to the board.

Naturally, New Yorkers were pissed about the news–a group of protesters gathered outside Manhattan’s Hunter College and some ended up in handcuffs for disorderly conduct.

Rent Stabilization Association President Joseph Strasburg, on the other hand, said the hike didn’t go far enough.

The rent hikes only apply to leases issued or renewed between October 2024 and September 2025. More information on rent increases can be found here.

The post NYC Stabilized Tenants Once Again Hit With Rent Hikes appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here