Bamboozle 2023 has been cancelled a week before the revived festival was due to open its doors.
2023 was set to be the first time the New Jersey festival had taken place since 2012 and was described by founder John D’Esposito as “a party 20 years in the making”.
Acts including Limp Bizkit, Mayday Parade and Papa Roach were due to play Bamboozle, which was set to run from May 5-7 at Bader Field, Atlantic City, US.
However in a statement posted yesterday (April 28), organisers confirmed that the event would not take place.
“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 statement read.
According to NJ.com, organisers had failed to submit the necessary paperwork that was needed for final permits.
“There was an ongoing concern we were not getting the required documents from festival organisers in a timely matter,” city business administrator Anthony Swan said. “We asked for this information months in advance to protect the city and the taxpayers of Atlantic City. The event was fast approaching, and these issues were still unresolved.”
As well as performers, the festival grounds were also set to include four amusement park rides, a B-Boy dance competition, a local band competition, Game Changer Wrestling, art installations, fan activations, merch and food vendors, DJs, clowns, and a poet.
Bamboozle first launched in 2003 and over the years saw performances from bands including My Chemical Romance, Drake, Jonas Brothers and Fall Out Boy.
The last Bamboozle took place in 2012 with Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters and Skrillex headlining to 20,000 people each night. Earlier this month, D’Esposito said just 6,000 tickets for Bamboozle 2023 had been sold.
“Thank you to all the fans who were coming to support us at Bamboozle Festival,” said Papa Roach after the news broke, while Finch and Saves The Day have already confirmed a co-headline show on May 7 at The Filmore in Philadelphia in place of their Bamboozle sets.