Ravers are raging mad over the Palm Tree Music Festival thrown by Norwegian house star Kygo in Southampton on Saturday, with party pooping problems ranging from hours-long waits for shuttles to booze shortages and no water.
As Page Six previous reported, the annual festival struggled to get off the ground this year after it failed multiple times to get a permit to go ahead at its normal locale, the East Hampton Airport.
And it seems that things didn’t go much better on the day.
Fans are complaining about long lines to get shuttles to the festival grounds. palmtreefestival/InstagramOthers said there was “dangerous chaos” at the end of the day when there was a panicked dash to make the last train home.
Shuttle buses were available from the Long Island Railroad to take guests to the grounds, but many say they waited in long lines and missed sets.
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On Sunday, attendees were writing their complaints on the electronic music fests’s Instagram account, but by mid-day the comments were deleted and the comment feature was turned off entirely.
On Monday, the comments were back.
“This sh*t was a disaster,” one person, who claimed to have paid $350 for their ticket, wrote on Instagram. “Takes 2 hours to get into a festival that was 10 min from drop off point. Drinks ran out at 630pm. Way home was a sh*t show, people hopping the lines to bum rush shuttle. Security didn’t give a sh*t and were basically useless. Way in for Ubers and Lyfts was also a nightmare and taxis price gouging to take us home.”
Some fans are claiming the fest ran out of alcohol. Kursza“I’m traumatized,” said another user. “The amount of disrespect and pushing that happened to get on the bus. . . and then someone on the bus had a panic attack and was screaming out the window to the cops, ‘HELP HELP ME ME!!! Let me outttt!’”’ I legit have no words.”
Another sarcastically cracked, “Kick off the summer right by getting completely bodied by 50+ people trying to get on a bus & getting elbowed in the face by a grown man!!”
Other attendees managed to have a blast. KurszaThere were no reported injuries at the fest.
Many claimed that the fest also ran out of alcohol and had no water on an extremely hot day.
Some fans are even asking for refund.
No injuries have bee reported at the festival. Kursza“We paid 600 bucks to walk a mile and a half, didn’t have any alcohol, and no service to leave,” said another.
And another simply posted, “Y’all ran out of WATER.”
A source tells us they never ran out of water and they had water spouts throughout the festival.
Some guests were more understanding, with many saying they did enjoy the sets by acts like Swedish House Mafia and Purple House Disco.
Swedish House Mafia headlined the fest. Kursza“The festival was awesome,” said one forgiving fan. “Running out of alcohol is going to happen considering it’s free and the amount of hours/ people. The only issue was not enough transportation getting to/from the location and communication from security/police. I had a blast but that’s just me.”
Other die-hards noted that organizers did have to contend with a last minute venue change.
Our source who was at the fest in the front VIP section said they did not see any “major issues.” “I think festivals always have detractors,” they told us.
Those who made it on time for the set also got to see Sofi Tukker. KurszaThere were also many positive comments praising the fest. “Amazing event! Can’t wait for next year!” said one.
“With new venues, come new challenges as we wanted to bring the festival to the heart of the Hamptons,” a spokesperson for the fest said in a statement. “We are aware of the extended shuttle wait times for guests who did not purchase the onsite parking passes. We hold ourselves to a high standard and will take all the feedback to adjust our transportation plans for next year.”
The festival organizers tell us they are listening to the feedback. Kursza“Thank you to the 100+ state troopers, local law enforcement and state agencies who worked with us on this event to ensure everyone’s safety,” the statement continued. “We’re also grateful to all our sponsors, the artists and Shinnecock Nation for welcoming us to your land. And most of all, thank you to the 10,000 festival guests who danced with us all night and in the rain. We’re looking forward to returning in year 5 to give all our guests a great experience.”
