It's time for music lovers to rejoice, as the highly anticipated KAABOO festival returns to the Del Mar Fairgrounds in September 2024. The beloved festival, featuring top bands like the Foo Fighters, Dave Mathews, and Mumford & Sons, faced a three-year hiatus filled with legal disputes and pandemic-induced cancellations.

Originally sold to the Padres and scheduled to move downtown in 2019, the festival faced an uncertain future due to lawsuits and the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a new group of investors and promoters cleared up rights issues and expressed hopes to revive the three-day musical extravaganza. The Del Mar Fair board approved a one-year deal for the event with four options. Tristan Hallman, a spokesperson for the Del Mar Fairgrounds, confirmed that the Padres granted their blessing to proceed, severing any affiliations with the team.

There are still questions looming, with the most significant being who will perform at the next show and how many fans will show up for the event. Drawing 85,000 attendees in the past, the focus now seems to be on the guest experience. As Hallman told Fox 5 San Diego, "We want to have a successful festival, and that also means focusing not just on the number of people that you can pack in here, but on the actual guest experience."

After a series of legal troubles, the festival’s future has been secured under the management of a new company, Festival Licensing and Acquisition Corporation (FLAAC). The 22nd District Agricultural Association Board of Directors, overseeing the fairgrounds, voted to enter into an agreement with FLAAC. The last KAABOO took place in 2019. The 2020 festival was canceled because of the pandemic, and the plan to return in 2021 never materialized due to multiple lawsuits involving the former owners.

Many fans who purchased tickets for the canceled 2020 festival are still hoping for refunds or for their tickets to be honored, despite the change in ownership. Vince Matthews expressed his concerns, "The new ownership might not be liable for the sins of the past ownership monetarily, but you would think that they'd want to start off on a positive note instead of a negative note.” According to 10 News San Diego, FLAAC representatives intend to "research, review and assist in the resolution of controversies associated with the 2020 canceled KAABOO festival."

The board discussed other concerns such as noise, traffic, parking, safety, security, and the financial impact on the community during its meeting.