Boonstock in the Edmonton area in the summer of 2013.
Image Credit: YouTube
June 05, 2014 - 2:57 PM
PENTICTON - With only two months left until Boonstock Music Festival, event coordinators say planning and construction are still on track.
The festival’s main coordinator, Barb Haynes, gave an up-to-date presentation of the plans to stakeholders Wednesday. Haynes said she understands some people expected the planning to move faster than it is, but as an experienced event coordinator, she doesn’t feel behind.
“This is not at all unusual,” she said. “Because it’s a new event, because we have partnerships with other stakeholders who are massively important to us, like the Penticton Indian Band, it’s where it’s at.”
She said, planning started last fall, and it’s just the information exchange that didn’t happen until more recently.
Talks with security and police have gone well, she said. Ticket sales are up and site construction is making progress but there is still a list of things to get done in the two months before the festival.
For example, there is no liquor license—a staple at music festivals. The Boonstock organization has contracted with the Boonstock Society, whose 2014 board members were recently announced, to run the liquor operation, said Mark Zeibarth, Director of the Society.
According to B.C. law, an organization needs a third-party non-profit to bring in the booze. RCMP also need to approve the application, provided by the society, for a liquor licence and won’t do so until they believe the event is manageable, Ziebarth said.
Then the society just needs to come up with $250,000 to buy the alcohol, he said.
He said the main priority is ensuring everyone’s safety. The Boonstock production team has set a $2,000 bond with the RCMP—separate from the approximately 150 to 200 private security personnel hired for the weekend.
“I can guarantee you that we believe we have satisfactory answers to everyone’s concerns even though there’s still risk involved,” Ziebarth said.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Meaghan Archer at marcher@infotelnews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014