Rumors fly about MGM Resorts and Kaaboo festival relationship

Word is seeping out about a stronger link between MGM Resorts and the three-day Kaaboo “mixexperience” festival held Sept. 14-16 at Del Mar Fairgrounds in California. Recent, and unverified, buzz is a Kaaboo-branded event might be brought to the Strip, either at the Village or Las Vegas Festival Grounds, next fall, with the main Kaaboo festival remaining in its San Diego County.

This information is not officially verified through MGM Resorts, however. A spokesman for the company said today it is too early to discuss the event’s details in Las Vegas.

As I reported Saturday, officials from Kaaboo scouted the Village with MGM Resorts executives during iHeart Radio Music Festival’s daytime event. Kaboo has performed three years in Del Mar, drawing 125,000 fans to seven venues. Two of those annexes — Aces of Comedy and Jewel — were sponsored by MGM Resorts (with Jewel also a partner of Hakkasan Group).

The idea of Kaaboo’s main event uprooting from Del Mar Fairgrounds to the Strip is highly unlikely, as festival organizers signed a multiyear deal with California state officials in April of 2016. That agreement gives Kaaboo permission to hold the festival at Del Mar Fairgrounds for through 2021, with up to five one-year extensions after that.

It’s the sort of agreement that keeps a festival from relocating, but doesn’t prevent it from opening an outpost in a place like Vegas.

Kaaboo, Part Two

Kaaboo spokesman Joshua Goodman on Thursday denied rumors that the company was planning to expand to Las Vegas.

“At this time, Kaaboo does not have any plans for expansion into Las Vegas. Our exclusive focus is on Kaaboo Del Mar, which has already set and announced the dates for Sept. 14-16. Kaaboo has a 10-year lease with the Del Mar Fairgrounds, which will continue to be the home of this event for many years to come,” he said in a statement. “There are absolutely no plans for relocation of this event. Further, Kaaboo has not entered into any agreements with MGM Resorts for a Las Vegas event.”

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.

This column has been updated to include comments from a Kaaboo spokesman.