MerleFest Attendance

[Lane Pryce]

I read an article in the G'boro paper that stated MF had 82,000 in attendance.Thats alot of bodies in one place. Lp

[A9cp]

Yep I was one of them had a great time. 8th year in a role.

[csstanley]

Here, here. I was yet another of the 82,000.

7th or 8th year, but not in a row. One of the first things to go is your mind and memory. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[JAK]

How do you get even close (50 yards?) to the stage with that many people?

[Russ Jordan]

That is the attendance spread out over 4 days, not 82,000 each day. There are 13 stages, so the crowd gets spread out some. During the daytime, there are plenty of seats available to general ticket holders in the reserved section in front of the Watson (main) stage. At times you can see some really great bands (the John Jorgenson Quintet this year comes to mind) up close in the early afternoon. Without reserved seating, you may be far back for popular nighttime shows like the Sam Bush Band, though.

Mandomania was held at the Creekside stage. I would guess there were 1500 or so folks there--I think even the folks at the back would have been able to see/hear ok.

[kudzugypsy]

i'm really glad that merlefest is so successful, kind of like our own teluride in our back yards....BUT, the heavy crowds finally got to me about 4 years ago. i guess it was just being there from the 2nd one and seeing how things were changing. dont all you old timers miss actually getting to sit on the front row of haybales for the great workshops, and then chatting with all the performers, actually getting good main stage seats (back when i regularly went, it would be rare to have a seat past the soundboard tent). i tell you, i saw some really great shows there, plus back in the day, all the performers would stay at the same hotel. we would go over and walk from room to room never knowing who would be in there. some truely great times in my life.
just another episode of the good ol' days....

boy, that post really makes me feel like an old timer.....where have all the years gone?

[Gibby]

ditto kudzugypsy....the crowds and cooler Nazi's drove me away several years ago. When I had to watch Dolly Parton on the big screen from what seemed like 1/4 mile away, that was it for me.

Headed back to GreyFox in July! Now that, my friends, is a user friendly festival.

[Russ Jordan]

[QUOTE]dont all you old timers miss actually getting to sit on the front row of haybales for the great workshops

Actually I try to keep my distance from hay bales!!

They have really improved the traffic flow at MerleFest. I got stuck in foot traffic for 45 minutes 3 or 4 years ago--it was miserable, but hasn't happened to me since.

I really like small festivals too (one of my favorites is the Wayne Henderson festival in Grayson County Va), but every year I see someone at MerleFest that I really like that I would not have likely seen elswhere: duo of Chris Hillman/Herb Pedersen, Jr Brown, Natalie McMaster, Albert Lee AND John Jorgenson playing with Earl Scruggs, etc, etc, etc. Every time I tell Ms Billie we should take a year off from MerleFest, they hang out another plum that brings me back.

[KevinM]

Looked like Tony Williams and Reid Burgess (of King Wilkie) were the Mando Hosts. Anyone attend or tape the mandolin workshop?