bluegrasslaura:
Well, I can understand the cost of running the show...and I appreciate the wonderful beautiful job the Planet has done with Mabon (which is why Im hooked)
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However,It would be good if some facets of the original Mabon were not taken away, and creative ways of dealing with costs -
1) volunteer musicians (local celtic musicians who arent looking for money, just a venue);
2) an almost all volunteer staff(set-up, clean-up, parking crew, etc) (put out the word that if you cant get the volunteers the fest wont happen!);
3) Charging more for admission (like say $5-10 more per person - this is the only major festival I save for, so I would pay it, and IM living
below poverty level);
4) allowing some of the main vendors to stay (like the stonecraft artists);
5) allowing more sponsorship opportunities for the Festival -
6) Use only very basic lighting on stage, and in other areas...not excess in electrical or gas usage at all
...and Im sure I can think of other ideas as well.
(Im a long-time nonprofit event planner and fundraiser....
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Peace, and I sincerely hope that this is re-thought...for wsome of us the Mabon fest became an institution of the Autumn season - especially those of us who dont celebrate the traditional holidays like everyone else.
Holly
1) It's great in theory, but we can't facilitate a full festival with impromptu acts. Professional musicians don't play for free, and at the very least we still have to feed them and provide accommodations.
2) We use as many volunteers as possible, always. I'm sure we could gather a great crew if we thratened to not have a festival...but we still have to have professional security, production, etc...we can't trust ours or your saftey, or the safety of thousands and thousands of dollars worth of equipment to random volunteers. Paid staff is a must. (though, I do see your point)
3) Hard to justify this when we weren't getting the numbers at a $20 ticket. Raising the price is hardly the answer to getting more people.
4) Something to look at for next year, but it costs vendors money to be here, too. If the people aren't here, they don't make money either. It also goes back to money for staff...it takes man hours to line up vendors, mark out spots, deal with sales tax stuff after the show, etc...
5) Have you ever tried getting big dollar sponsorship for a celtic music festival?...much less one that has maintained a consistantly small attendance? Get back to me when you do.
6) Electical and gas are the least of the concerns. To use the main stage takes a professionally trained staff, overnight security for the gear, etc...not to mention the rental of the sound gear, the set-up, the campground set up,etc...
I'm sure if you have helped plan the non-profit fests you say, you understand many of the logistical hurdles to overcome. Unfortunately, what you haven't considered is people's willingness to work with you BECAUSE you are a non-profit, which is something we cannot claim. Nobody gets a tax break for working with us.
Everybody is so worked up about the Mabon being different.
WE JUST BUILT A BEAUTIFUL, VERY EXPENSIVE, NEW PAVILLION FOR EVERYONE TO ENJOY!
We are opening the grounds for about 12 hours less than we have in years past. There is no caylee dance, true...but we are going to have a wonderful feast on Saturday night. There are going to be a couple of different acts playing in the late afternoon and evening. We are going to have pickin' sessions and jams on the ranch in the afternoon, and into the evening. There will be camping...there will be a bonfire on the river...there will be bagpipes.
IT'S STILL A CELEBRATION OF THE MABON! ...it just doesn't have vendors, or sword fighters. We are doing everything we can to ensure that everyone has a good time for this year's celebration. Who knows what next year will bring...If you can't understand that your favorite festival that was 1/3 the size of the next smallest thing we do here wasn't a good business model, I'm sorry. We love the Mabon, and want it to continue...but it is what it is this year. After spending 7 months, and a good deal of money on the new pavilion, we just didn't think that the mabon, as it had been historically, was a good move.
It's YOU that makes the Mabon the Mabon. Bring your kilts, and bring your pipes. If it doesn't fly, it very well may die. Don't crucify us for scaling back for one year.
I hope to see you there.
Dustin
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