Big Union Square music festival October 13? Same day as HONK Parade and Harvard Sq Oktoberfest?

[ron_newman]

This story is a bit hard to piece together, but apparently Mayor Curtatone and House of Blues and RadioBDC (Boston.com's internet "radio" station) are planning to hold a large free outdoor music event in Union Square on Sunday, October 13. It's not entirely clear whether the event will close all of Union Square to traffic, or just take over the parking lot and plaza. An earlier proposal would have charged $25 for tickets, which seems like a Really Bad Idea when taking over public city streets.

The Somerville Arts Council and Union Square Main Streets don't appear to be involved at all -- at least, I don't see the event on either organization's website.

Links:
Organizers: Free concert would draw 3000 to Somerville's Union Square (Wicked Local/Somerville Journal)

Somerville licensing board member: Rock and roll is noise pollution (Wicked Local Somerville blog)

Licensing Commission agenda for 9/16 - see item #4

I'm not usually one to complain about having too many festivals, but I wonder if it's really a good idea to hold this on the same day as the HONK Parade and Harvard Square Oktoberfest. With Davis, Porter, Harvard, and Union squares all closed at the same time, I wouldn't want to be in an MBTA bus or a car anywhere in Cambridge or Somerville that day.

Comments

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

Wow, what a giant F-U to Honk! That was a crappy move, Mayor' Office, to put a large corporate-sponsored event against a local arts grassroots one. booooo!

[ron_newman]

It's the day of the HONK parade (which is mostly in Cambridge, though it starts in Davis Square) -- not the main HONK festival. Still seems like a poorly-conceived idea, though. Why couldn't it be the preceding or following weekend instead?

Also yucky: "The show will be sponsored by Budweiser". No respect for our local brewers, Pretty Things and Slumbrew?

[squirrelitude]

It's entirely possible that the local brewers declined to sponsor. *shrug*

[mzrowan.livejournal.com]

Or that they couldn't afford to. If they were originally thinking of charging $25/person and expecting 3000 people, that makes sponsorship costs potentially $75000.

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

From the perspective of someone who has actively solicited arts sponsorship from local businesses, I'd say mzrowan is probably more on it. The only reason our group considers pursuing bigger corps is much deeper pockets. But we also debate a lot about whether it's something we want to be doing and question what the meaning of that would be to our event. I kinda think that part wasn't the source of a lot of hand-wringing here.

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

The Honk! Parade is arguably *more* even Somerville than the music festival. Scores of local and community groups, arts groups, etc., all marching together. The Mayor should be at the parade cheering on all the groups and acivities that make Somerville awesome.

I hope someone vomits budweiser on his shoes.

[dashford.livejournal.com]

I suspect part of the reason the promoters didn't want it to be the preceding or following weekend is that they aren't holiday weekends. A Sunday afternoon/evening event that goes until 9pm is more attractive when much of the potential audience doesn't have to work the next day.

[ron_newman]

I think only government workers, and maybe some private colleges, get Columbus Day off.

[dashford.livejournal.com]

Nope -- banks, the bond market, and many businesses also observe Columbus Day. PRONK, for example, happens on Monday down in Providence during the day.

[teko.livejournal.com]

What a poorly conceived idea. I don't know what the fanbase for acts such as "The Sheila Divine, Speedy Ortiz, American Authors, Glen Yoder and the Western States and Christian McNeil" are, but I predict attendance won't exactly be stellar.

[ron_newman]

I'm fine with providing an outdoor showcase for local bands. I just wish they'd pick a different date than October 13.

[teko.livejournal.com]

As am I -- the idea of a free local festival with local bands is far better than the silly concept of a $25 public show in Union Sq. I'm just saying that with HONK and Oktoberfest at the same time, I doubt that those bands will be enough of a draw to make this a well attended festival, which is sad.

[dashford.livejournal.com]

The promoters are expecting 3,000 people which doesn't seem terribly high (the Fluff festival draws about 10,000). And the HONK! organizers have said they don't have any issues with the Sunday festival. Maybe we should wait until the event actually happens before deciding whether it was a poorly conceived idea?

[ron_newman]

OK ... but some of us would have liked to go to both events, if only they weren't scheduled for the same day.

[dashford.livejournal.com]

That's more of a "welcome to the big city" issue -- there are lots of things going on that Sunday that I'd like to attend (including the Kerouac festival in Lowell) but that's how it goes. I see no particular connection between the audiences for Oktoberfest and the Union Square event, so it doesn't seem like a terribly egregious scheduling conflict.

[teko.livejournal.com]

I'm expressing my opinion. Thank you!

[dashford.livejournal.com]

And thank YOU for pointing out you don't know the popularity of the acts on the bill, but are nevertheless willing to predict a poor attendance for the event.

[teko.livejournal.com]

As someone who used to organize and promote local music festivals starring dozens of little-or-unknown acts, I'm a big, big fan of promoting and celebrating bands with a fervent local fan base, so as I say, a local festival is awesome, and I applaud the city for doing so.

But, again, I think that booking a local-music fest against two established, popular, long-running festivals is a terrible idea, and I fear will give the impression that festivals of local music aren't well attended. I wish they'd give it a different weekend so it could be enjoyed on its own terms, not as an alternative to HONK and Oktoberfest.