Frequently asked questions and other pertinent information.
Q. Can we bring coolers and our own food?
A. Yes, but all bags are checked and no bottles of any kind are allowed. You can’t bring your own alcohol.
Q. Is food and drink available from vendors?
A. Yes, in a great variety, and for reasonable prices. All food and alcohol stands are under the bleachers where we have an acoustic stage going at all times for your entertainment while you buy or eat. There will be barbecue, Mexican food, sandwiches, and many kinds of snacks. We have a coffee vendor, and you can buy any kind of alcohol, even some specialty brews.
Q. Where do we sit?
A. You can sit in the stands under the roof, or out on the artificial turf if you bring a chair or blanket. You can stand wherever you want. The early shows are conducive to casual seating. When one stage stops the other starts, it’s a matter of turning your chair ninety degrees. At night when the headliners perform, it gets more crowded and people stand at the front of the stage. You can still have your chair, but you’ll want to move further back or go up in the bleachers if you don’t like standing crowds.
Q. Are their VIP seating areas or roped off areas for reporters.
A. Not yet. The crowds are still small enough that we can accommodate everyone in intimate seating. There is a rail four feet from the stage and you can get that close if you choose.
Q. Can we go backstage?
A. No
Q. Can we leave and return the same day?
A. Yes, as many times as you like. You will exchange your ticket for a wristband. That wristband is your pass to come and go. Do not remove it. If you lose your wristband you will have to buy another ticket to return into the arena.
Q. Do we have to wear the wristband?
A. Yes. It would be too easy to just pass wristbands through cracks in the fences otherwise.
Q. Can we buy tickets locally without using a credit card?
A. Yes. With or without a credit card you can buy tickets at the Brown n’ Gold on Grand in Laramie, or at either the Brown n’ Gold in Cheyenne, or Ernie November’s Music Store.
Q. Can UW students get a discounted ticket?
A. Yes, at the Student Union front desk with ID.
Q. Are children free?
A. Yes, children 12 and under are free accompanied by a paying adult. In fact, if you look twelve and under and are accompanied by a paying adult you will be free. We won’t check ID unless the twelve year candidate has a mustache or a Barry White voice.
Q. Are there group rates?
A. If your group is 25 or over you can get the early bird special price. Contact the website with inquiry.
A. Yes, and close by. Definitely within walking distance. Cost is a one time fee of thirty dollars whether you stay one day or three or four. There are clean portable toilets nearby and washbasins. Those are for your hands and face, you can’t sit naked in the washbasins.
Q. Are pets allowed.
A. No.
Q. Can we come a day early or stay a day later at the campgrounds with no penalty?
A. Yes.
Q. Is this a typical fairground scene with pigs and rabbits?
A. No. That’s the surprise. We clean and rake the arena thoroughly, then roll it flat as a board, then water it, then lay down quality artificial turf. There are no pigs, rabbits, cows, chickens, or animals of any kind in the festival confines. Some horses are kept outside the music festival in a private area, but you won’t see them, hear them, or smell them. Our goal is to have you enter the arena and not believe you are at a fairgrounds.
Q. Are there host hotels with special pricing?
A. Yes. We will be posting the entire list on the fourth of August, but right now you can find special rates for the festival at the Hampton Inn, The Holiday Inn, The Quality Inn, and the Fairfield Marriott.
Q. What if I just want to see the headliner, do I have to pay for the whole day?
A. Yes. The cost of the headliner is so disproportionately high, that we base the ticket price almost solely on them. You may as well catch some other acts while you are waiting. The other acts are handpicked and supremely talented. You will not be disappointed in any of them.
Q. I have a band, how do I get into the festival?
A. We had over nine hundred band submissions this year. We selected thirty entertainers for the forty shows. Only one was from a submission. We sought out the rest. If you don’t have a booking agent or a record label, or national credentials you have little chance of getting in. This is because we don’t take any chances with on behalf of our fans, many of whom travel great distances because of our reputation of the highest quality entertainment. But we do take at least one completely unknown band every year, but they really have to be impressive.
Q. Do you have security?
A. Yes, Landmark Security, the same company that patrols the UW events. They are courteous and non-obtrusive, but do keep the peace and order and find lost children and entertainers.
Q. I have a tight budget this year, but I can work, and have time, can I get a ticket in exchange for volunteer work.
A. Yes, but we take a limited number of volunteers on a first come basis and do evaluate their motives. If you are just a freeloader trying to sneak in, we don’t want you of course, so don’t try that. If you are sincere and willing, then e-mail the website.
Q. Is there activity or entertainment after the headline event?
A. Yes, under the bleachers on the acoustic stage, we feature a red hot band with big guest artists playing dance music until midnight. All vendors stay open.
Q. I would love to sit in with the jam band after the headliner, how do I go about it?
A. The policy is, that it is up to the jam host, but he or she will have been instructed to allow only other festival performers as guests, or someone of equivalent stature.
Q. Can we purchase tickets at the walk up ticket booth at the festival.
A. Yes. We can take cash or credit cards. We advise getting tickets early however to avoid lines and the possibility of a sellout where we shut down all ticket sales.
Q. Do you allow mosh pits?
A. Absolutely not. The fan conduct has been gentle and exemplary at these festivals and we intend to keep it that way. Courtesy and listening enjoyment are the order of the day.
Q. Are there items not allowed on the artificial turf?
A. Yes. Gum is deadly on turf, you can chew it, but please dispose of it properly. Popcorn is a messy nuisance, chewing tobacco is not allowed, cigarettes either, or cigars. Sunflower seeds are nasty to clean up, so no. We also don’t allow bottles that may break on the turf. We have many people running around on the turf in bare feet. We try to keep it immaculate.
Q. Can I take photographs?
A Yes. But most big entertainers don’t allow videos, if you violate that rule you run the risk of them shutting down their show until it is remedied. We don’t want that. They also don’t allow recording. However, with modern cell phone technology we have no chance of enforcing these rules, so we ask for voluntary compliance. Security will be looking for obvious violations however.
Q. I have a three day ticket, can I share it with someone else on days I don’t plan to attend?
A. No. You will be given a wristband in exchange for your ticket. If a wristband is broken it will not be honored. These wristbands are tough. They can go through daily bathing and won’t come unglued unless you cut them. There is no excuse not to be wearing it once you’ve exchanged your ticket. Wristbands will not be honored if not worn on your wrist.