However you put it, a Roots N’ Blues N’ Bbq weekend pass is not cheap. This is especially true for high schoolers who mostly get paid minimum wage.
So, here’s a quick guide to enjoying this fantastic festival without a pass.
1. Music isn’t contained within walls during an outdoor festival. Become friends with someone who lives downtown and crash on their balcony. If your friends aren’t cool enough to live downtown and have a strategic balcony position, park your car in a lot near enough to the action. Then fill your trunk with pillows and blankets and enjoy the blues from there with a few friends. It will be echo-y, but good enough.
2. If you wanna get the “atmosphere” experience, too, take a lawn chair and just crash on the sidewalk (Out of people’s way though! The cops can remove you if you are blocking the walking area.) There are a lot of booths that don’t want to pay the fee to see their merch or food inside the festival’s gates, so you’ll have plenty of good smelling company.
3. Wear comfy shoes and have a hoodie. The life of a moocher is not a stable one. You are oftentimes asked politely to leave. This just means that you should find a new location, with nicer people. It will involve walking, though. And occasionally dancing.
4. Bring a friend. Not only is blues more fun when you have someone to sway with, but mooching for it is doubly as fun when you have a partner to giggle with. Bring someone who is chill – not too high strung – and has 3G on their phone to look up the lyrics and where the cleanest bathroom is.
5. Speaking of bathrooms, when you need to … er … relieve yourselves, go to Flat Branch, order a homemade root beer or a cream soda and use their superb facilities.
6. Most importantly, though, is that some will look down on you for mooching. But they just don’t understand. They don’t have the wandering spirit; they don’t have the adventurers soul. Some people need to mooch. It’s in their blood, and their piggy banks are empty.
By Maria Kalaitzandonakes
For more coverage on the Roots N’ Blues festival, click here.
For a schedule of who will be performing what and when, click here.
