DEL MAR — KAABOO, a multi-day music and arts festival that operated for five years at the Del Mar Fairgrounds before becoming embroiled in lawsuits, will be making a comeback next fall under a new agreement with new festival leadership.
KAABOO will return to the Fairgrounds in September 2024 for the first time in five years. The 22nd District Agricultural Association, the body managing the Fairgrounds, approved a four-year contract with KAABOO license holders at their Sept. 12 meeting.
Carlene Moore, CEO of the 22nd DAA, said staff have been regularly asked over the years about when KAABOO will return.
“We look forward to seeing KAABOO return to the Del Mar Fairgrounds next year,” said Moore. “In the five years prior to the pandemic, KAABOO Del Mar attracted top names in music, art, and entertainment, created countless memories, and generated excitement in San Diego County and beyond. The festival’s organizers have told us they hope to recapture that magic here in September 2024.”
In 2019, KAABOO organizers announced that the festival would move to Petco Park in 2020 under a new partnership with the San Diego Padres. However, the 2020 iteration never materialized due to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
KAABOO leaders attempted to move the festival back to Del Mar last year but were sued by the Padres for alleged breach of contract, who claimed exclusive rights to hold the event at Petco Park. Festival leaders claimed the agreement was never actually finalized.
Moore assured the Fairgrounds board this week that they have consulted with the Padres about an agreement to bring the festival back to Del Mar.
“We did receive the necessary assurances from the Padres in terms of negotiating on this agreement,” Moore said.
The festival name and brand license were transferred to Festival Licensing and Acquisition Corporation, or FLAAC, in 2021. The Delaware-based holding company is led by industry veterans Mark Terry, Chris Racan and Carl Monzo, the latter two of whom were previously involved in producing KAABOO.
“It made sense to bring it [KAABOO] back to its inaugural home where it had performed so well,” Terry said regarding returning the festival to Del Mar. “It was an amazing festival that would generate 80,000 people over the course of three days.”
The 22nd DAA’s agreement with FLAAC states that the Fairgrounds will receive $250,000 in annual revenue for the festival.
During its five years in Del Mar, KAABOO headliners have included the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Aerosmith, Jimmy Buffet, Hall & Oates, Grouplove, Pink and Imagine Dragons.
The exact dates for KAABOO 2024 have not been determined.
