DEL MAR — The long-awaited relaunch of the KAABOO arts and music festival in Del Mar is dead in the water after the event was canceled for the second consecutive year.
While KAABOO was set to return to the Del Mar Fairgrounds in September, Fairgrounds representatives confirmed this week that they have ended their contract with organizer Festival Licensing and Acquisition Corporation (FLAAC) after they failed to pay a $50,000 deposit that was due in November.
The contract included a one-year agreement with the option for four one-year renewals. Under the agreement with FLAAC, the Fairgrounds would have received $250,000 annually for hosting KAABOO.
“FLAAC did not make its deposit payment per its agreement, and we decided it was time to move on,” said Fairgrounds spokesperson Tristan Hallman.
KAABOO was delayed to 2025 after FLAAC canceled plans to hold the event in September 2024. At that time, organizers had failed to make a deposit or announce specific dates, a lineup or ticket sales in the months leading up to the event.
The multiday festival ran at the Fairgrounds from 2014 to 2019, showcasing high-profile acts such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Aerosmith, Jimmy Buffet, Hall & Oates, Grouplove, Pink and Imagine Dragons.
The festival has been dormant since 2019 and has undergone various legal issues and ownership changes since then. Organizers planned to take the 2020 festival to Petco Park, but this never occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ticketholders were reportedly never reimbursed after the festival was cancelled.
FLAAC, led by industry veterans Mark Terry, Chris Racan and Carl Monzo, bought the rights to the festival from investor Mark Hagle in 2021. According to Billboard, Hagle lost around $23 million in 2019 after purchasing KAABOO from Virgin Fest, resulting in a lawsuit between the parties.
In 2022, the Padres sued KAABOO for alleged breach of contract when they attempted to move the festival back to Del Mar. The two parties ultimately terminated their contract, allowing KAABOO to enter into an agreement with the Fairgrounds in 2023.
The Fairgrounds said they are focused on the 2025 San Diego County Fair and will announce the lineup of entertainment acts in the coming weeks.
“Our Board of Directors, our team, and our community have high standards and expectations for events at the Fairgrounds, and we remain open to conversations with proven professional promoters who can offer unforgettable experiences for our community at our iconic location,” Hallman said.
