Bamboozle first night attendance at least 23,000 in preliminary estimate
As darkness falls, day one of Bamboozle going smoothly with no traffic or parking problems
The first day of Bamboozle went off without a hitch as darkness fell, with the downtown and beachfront free of major traffic or parking snags.
Just before 9 p.m., Asbury Park city manager Terry Reidy said the crowds numbered “somewhere around 23,000, but I haven’t gotten an update in a few hours.” Bamboozle promoter LiveNation had estimated 20,000 would attend. Performances are expected to conclude tonight at 11:00 p.m.
Festival-goers waited for entry in a line that extended from McLoone’s to the Casino. Just after 5 p.m., they were let into the festival through Convention Hall.
Upon entering, spectators were greeted with techno music coming from a sound system, and college fraternity and sorority members and sports teams selling drinks and food ranging in price from $4 to $9. Some of the organizations planned to donate their tips to charity.
Bands started performing right at 5 p.m. on the seven stages inside the 150-acre festival grounds. As fans filled the area, they checked out vendors and watched their favorite acts perform.
Today’s headliners were Skrillex, Incubus and Mac Miller. The crowd skewed young, with many festival-goers saying they took trains or taxicabs to the event. Tomorrow, My Chemical Romance and the Foo Fighters are headlining while on Sunday, Bon Jovi, Brand New and the Gaslight Anthem top the bill.
Tomorrow and Sunday’s events start earlier, at 2 p.m. LiveNation estimates a 40,000 turnout for Saturday and 30,000 for Sunday. For a photo essay of today’s events on the Asbury Park Sun Facebook page, click here.
