This is for my friend helping out a festival. I'll just quote her from facebook to make it easier on me....

"I want to know seriously. If you go to a festy besides the music and people what are you happy to see. And what is the worst thing about a festy besides the thieves. Im talking as far as a festy is put on."

" " I and i am sure the owners want the best fam experience possible. I just want to make it work and profitable so they can continue. So any info on even slightest will help."

"Again anything you can think of that would make a festival of 1 of the festival that you would remember for the rest of your life let me know no matter how minute you think it maybe it could mean a world of difference word of mouth is the best marketing there s cell let me know what you're thinking thanks much appreciated let's make this the best ever 2013 baby"

So any ideas, thoughts, what ever you think. Just put it out there. This is for a smaller fest than that of wanee and I think their second year so it's a growing experience.

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1) Properly trained staff that know the rules and can either answer a question or have a single point of contact that can do so
2) Efficient communication methods for staff
3) Courteous staff
Comments due to a not so pleasant entry to GOTV one year

The staff that work directly with the festival goers have a tough job, they meet 20 kind people then they get that one a$$ that really blows your day!

Location,Location,Location.....

SoSMP is such a beautiful spot, nothing like the Mushroom Stage

Sunshine Blues Fest- Vinoy Park in St Pete is a beautiful place and the weather was perfect. Great job with 2 stages side by side made for little time wasted without music.


What I hate: too long of lines for vending and Port-o-lets

Accessibilty limited

Chairs being too close to the rail

Crowds, maybe this year they will be down a bit I'm thinking. That's what's appealing about Bear Creek and Magfest, more room to stretch your wings.

Things i like the most:
the friendliness of the people around me
BOS/SOS
oh, and the music.

The things I hate the most:
Wooks wandering thru your camp at night
too large crowd
chairs not close enuff to stage
and of course, leaving.

I forgot to say the thing I like most about festivals. I'm going to be perfectly honest here. Getting smashed. It even trumps the music. It's the perfect environment to catch a mean one.

Of course! The chairs are NEVER close enough to the stage!

BWA HA HA!

yup I had the same problem with some of the staff at gotv... mostly with the parking guys, figured they had a few assholes already.

If it's large enough to require port-o-lets, please be sure that:

A) there are enough of them
B) they are kept reasonably clean

Seriously: Service them once a day -or more often- if the crowds require it.

Chairs are great(!), but there should be a chair-free zone in front of every major stage.

Please ensure adequate food & beverage is available. This could be the hardest part to predict in advance. But: No one wants to waste time in (any) line while their favorite band is raging.

As an example: At the Terrapin Family Reunion in 2002, the venue (Alpine Valley) ran out of bottled water late on the first day... Really!?! Are you freakin' kidding me!?. ... Plus: Despite the fact that we were not allowed to bring in food or water, the line to get a grilled cheese was over an hour long. Really?! Are you frickin'... Well, yall get the idea: Grrr!

Please, make it easy (and sanitary) for us custy's to get our victuals on... and out!

At that wonderful venue the SOS, we typically eat every meal but one at camp. Why? We kinda like our own cooking. . . But we make sure to patronize the food vendors at least once per Fest - especially when the Sugar Shack is on site.

I may have more love/hate ideas later on - but these stand out for me as the real 'buzz kills'. . .