A potentially hazardous situation arose when an overcrowded music festival turned to rioting. Authorities said fights erupted at the KAABOO Musical Festival in Del Mar on Saturday night. Many festivalgoers became frustrated and scared when they attempted to get into a popular event in a small venue, according to witnesses and officials. People who had been waiting for two hours to see a performer at the ENCORE stage became angry when the venue reached capacity.
One witness who attended the festival said it was poor planning by the venue. Tickets cost around $280 for the 3-day festival. The festival was overcrowded, and chaos erupted. One witness says people were throwing stuff and fighting, and police began tackling people with pepper spray and tasers. Witnesses say it was a scary situation, and many people could have easily been hurt.
According to a San Diego County Sheriff's Lieutenant, the venue filled up as people from other venues were trying to leave, and the crowd became unruly, and several fights erupted. An undisclosed amount of people were arrested. A KAABOO and Del Mar Fairgrounds spokesperson said they are sorry for the disappointment but had to turn away people for safety reasons. Event officials say there were no injuries.
A witness said it took almost three hours to get out of the parking lot, and the parking management was horrible. Thankfully the Sheriff’s office confirmed there were no injuries reported.
Have you or someone you love been injured while attending an event because of negligence. When proper codes and procedures are violated, people can get hurt. If you believe willful misconduct of an establishment or property owner led to your injury, please call a premises liability attorney at Meyerkord & Kurth, LLC, as soon as possible.