WAYZATA – The Wayzata City Council voted 3-1 Tuesday night to deny a special event permit for the proposed WAAM Fest, an electronic dance music (EDM) concert planned for September 5–6 in conjunction with James J. Hill Days. Despite a long track record of concerts hosted by applicant Rick Born and RBA Productions, council members and city staff raised concerns about the timing, neighborhood impact, and—most notably—the musical format itself. Mayor Andrew Mullin was the dissenting vote.
City staff expressed concern that the late submission of the WAAM Fest permit—received just 60 days before the proposed event—did not meet the 90-day advance requirement outlined in Wayzata’s updated special event ordinance. Interim Police Chief Jamie Baker noted that the compressed timeline could make it difficult to adequately staff the event, particularly in coordinating police and public safety personnel.
While the public works team indicated they could manage setup logistics due to prior experience with similar events, the reduced lead time posed significant challenges for ensuring public safety coverage, especially given the expected crowd size of up to 2,500 attendees per night.
While Mr. Born promised to cover all police and public safety costs, he acknowledged the event was filed late—just 60 days prior—and said he hoped the city would consider his production team’s efforts to improve sound control. A detailed sound mitigation plan had been developed for 2024, including subwoofer phasing, decibel limits, absorption barriers, and vehicle-based baffling strategies to reduce bass projection into neighborhoods.
But council sentiment was mixed: while some members focused on the late application and noise concerns, others pointed to broader questions about the event’s musical format and how well it aligns with the community.
Mayor Andrew Mullin voiced mixed feelings about the proposed WAAM Fest, noting that while he supports community events and appreciates efforts to bring safe entertainment to younger residents, he has reservations about the event’s format. “Where I get a little stuck is more about the format and how that fits the makeup of the people who live here versus visitors as it’s a bit of a nuisance,” Mullin said.
He acknowledged the importance of providing local opportunities for youth and shared that he was “we owe it to them” and he was “heartened to see families” at the most recent event. However, he also cited personal experience with the noise, noting, “I live right up the corridor on Berry Avenue and I could hear this on my front porch.” Mullin suggested that genres like rock and country may better align with the preferences of Wayzata residents and acknowledged the community’s division over such events. While generally supportive of WAAM Fest, he noted concerns about staffing and said he would only consider approval with a firm 10 p.m. cutoff.
Councilmember Molly MacDonald raised strong concerns about the timing and cumulative impact of the proposed event. “I’ve always had an issue with how early it starts—it just sort of takes up everyone’s entire evening in the community,” she said, describing the 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. timeframe as a “nonstarter.” She noted that even a recent event ending at 10:30 p.m. felt too late for many residents.
Citing the “visceral reaction” to the recent EDM show that “shot up the hill into the community,” MacDonald said she wasn’t ready to revisit a similar format so soon. While she acknowledged the applicant’s experience and agreed that events for all ages are important, she emphasized the strain of back-to-back festivals and deviation from city guidelines. “There’s just too many,” she said, ultimately siding with staff’s recommendation to deny the permit.
Councilmember Alex Plechash expressed ongoing concern with the type of music associated with WAM Fest, specifically electronic dance music (EDM). “I’m not really a fan of EDM,” he added. “If you had Lindsey Stirling or Hauser up there, I’d be all over it and selling tickets for you.” Ultimately, citing persistent resident concerns about noise complaints, Plechash supported the staff recommendation to deny the special event permit.
Others commented discussed recent events—particularly “HiFi on the Lake,” also EDM-focused—had sparked 6 public complaints.
Councilmember Ken Sorensen expressed appreciation for Born’s professionalism and event history but shared concerns about pushing past the city’s typical 10 p.m. curfew. WAAM Fest had requested an 11 p.m. end time both nights.
City policy currently allows for two Level 3 events per month in September. While the application technically met the matrix for consideration, the council chose not to allocate one of those spots to WAAM Fest.
Despite the denial, several council members emphasized that their vote should not be taken as a rejection of Born’s broader contributions to the city’s entertainment offerings.
Councilmember Ken Sorensen expressed appreciation for the applicant’s past contributions and made clear that any decision should not be taken as a personal slight. “Regardless of what happens tonight, I wouldn’t want you to take any action we take as anything other than support of your efforts in the future,” he said.
Whether EDM will find future footing in Wayzata remains unclear. For now, the city appears to be drawing a boundary—between bass and balance, format and fit.
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