Well isn't this interesting. We hadn't heard much about the Electric Zoo hitting NYC in 2014, which wasn't a surprise given that drug overdoses caused the third day of the 2013 festival to be canceled. After Made Event was acquired by SFX Entertainment, and the announcement of Electric Zoo Mexico, we guess it was only a matter of time before word of a 2014 Electric Zoo in New York City would be announced, but it looks like it wasn't as easy as one would think it was, given that high power lobbyists have been hired to try and aide getting a Parks Department permit so this festival can go on during Labor Day Weekend.
The Daily News reports that Mike McKeon (who runs the firm Mercury Public Affairs) and Patrick Jenkins recently reached out to a number of aides for Mayor de Blasio in hopes of attaining this permit so that EZ Festivals LLC could run the festival. While Marina Ortiz (of E. Harlem Preservation Inc.) has been quoted as saying that she's "disappointed that the city is even considering the application considering what happened last year," apparently Electric Zoo already has two dates in August pegged, and is said to have bolstered "what was already an extremely robust safety apparatus.”
Whatever that means.
Currently, there's no word on where this permit process is, but we'll keep you updated with any developments.
