SPACE INSANITY

The title of this post comes from frustration, as a lot of my posts seem to. I am going to dedicate a entire chapter to this topic in the second book, but wanted to get this off my chest now.

Firstly, let us start with a question. Do you think it is insane, when you do something a certain way; get a certain result; then keep doing it the same way hoping for a different one? I certainly do.

So let us bring this premise into festival management. You have a site that you have been building on for years and it has always been a challenge for space. In particular the space you have to build the all important dock, ramp and storage areas that adjoin any outdoor stage. It gains a reputation of being a difficult site and stage to work at, but on you go...seemingly OK with that or at least stuck with it. THEN, you move sites...oh joy!, a new canvas to work on, a chance to do better, what bliss...

oh hang on...you did the same build...what the actual fuck...are you deliberately trying to fuck with people? You really expect a different outcome?

Let us start with some basic facts

1. If you are building a truck dock, then 16' depth is not deep enough
2. If you are building one ramp from the dock to the stage, 16' wide is not wide enough
3. If you are building a 4 truck dock , then 32' width is not wide enough.
4. A 53' trailer on a standard touring tractor is about 75' long

Now, as you absorb these facts, let's talk for a bit about a commodity that is in the top five of the things you need to run a good festival...right up there with a lineup, and a good location. That commodity is space. Open space, uncluttered, free of things, items, buildings, holes, poles, trees, dumb posts or ANY other shite...OPEN SPACE. Now look at the space either while you are physically standing there or on a CAD that is scaled accurately and start to plan your needs; ie what you are going to put in that space. The most important thing to put into any space on a festival site is...yup you guessed it....NOTHING.

Now we have outlined some fundamentals that can help steer your festival planning, go ahead and draw up your stage, storage, ramps and docks.

DO get comfortable with the idea of open space

DON'T try and get clever with things like truck docks. There is no magic to get an articulated behemoth 75' long onto a dock. You need a skilled driver and plenty of SPACE, and if you dont get the first you need more of the second, you know.

If you are buying acts that are at the level of touring with 5 - 7 trucks for a festival show, and you don't allow for the abovementioned factors when designing and building your backstage areas, merely "hoping that it will be better then last year"*...

...then you are by definition...INSANE

*Quote from an anonymous festival source with knowledge of the situation.