We recently attended the New York State Blues Festival in Syracuse. It was a bit of a long distance, but our favorite band, Little Feat was playing. When we arrived, there was a line of RV’s and horse trailers going into the New York State Fairgrounds where the event was held. It took a few minutes to get in as each horse trailer was registered. When we got to the registration area they waved us through to the next area where your information was taken down for the RV camping. Probably could have avoided that line!
We were given no direction so we followed another RV down the road until they turned back. There were signs for trailer parking but they led to the horse trailer parking. Fortunately, we saw the RV section across the large parking area and headed there. We came in the wrong way. We could have just gone straight at the gate but it seemed there was a lot of confusion about what to do. That could be improved in future years by having someone straight ahead from the gate for the RV’s to check in the campers and send them to the site. In their defense, it seems the organizer of the event for years had passed away so maybe they were doing the best the could. Not sure if the event is going to continue but we hope so.
Once we got in and set up, I drove around to figure out where the festival was and if there was handicap parking or a shuttle. The RV area was ½ mile or so from the event area. I can walk ½ mile but that reduces my ability to do important things at the event, like shopping and fetching beers, due to my handicap
I came across some of the cleaning folks and they directed me to the front gate number 2 where we entered. On my way there I saw the festival area and there were a bunch of security folks standing around, so I inquired of them. After some discussion, they said I should go out the gate and then come into the handicap parking outside the the main festival entrance. That seemed counterproductive.
When I drove back to the RV area I noticed folks walking to the event from the RV section. I asked them if they were going to go to the front and come in and they said they just walk in the back way. There were several handicap spaces there so we decided to park there and come in the back. That worked fine the first day. The next day there was a security guy turning people away and sending them to the front. We had to park about a block further away to avoid that entrance but it was still doable.Not sure why there wasn’t more concern about handicapped folks. As usual, I was the only ambulatory person on oxygen that I saw. I think there needs to be more awareness of folks who have limited ability to cover long distances at festivals. Shuttles or close parking would be nice.
Once we arrived at the festival we found the grounds to be very nice. Trees and grassy areas so you could pick your preference. There were plenty of food vendors, a little heavy on the fried bread stuff but it is a fairground. The bathrooms were close and very clean. The beer selection was macro beer so that was a bit of a disappointment. $7 – 8 each could save a dollar if you bought 3 tickets at a time. They were 16 oz cans. One of the beer volunteers felt sorry for me and upgraded my beers each time for free. I can take that sort of pity!
The VIP was $475 for the weekend and consisted of ½ the stage area in front with metal bleacher seats and a viewing platform on the stage left side. Free food and beer, not sure I could eat and drink enough to make it worthwhile. The beer coming out of there looked like craft beer but I didn’t try it.
The crowd was mostly an older demographic. Some young folks but that was the exception rather than the rule. Lots of loud New York Yankees… Took a while to acclimate to the general rudeness of the locals. We found it funny that most of them would be complaining about the food when they were in line and before they actually purchased any. I usually wait until I’ve tried it before I knock it. Some of the food was excellent, others not so much. Typical festival food with a few exceptions. There was a deli truck that had Rubens and pastrami with corned beef sandwiches that were tasty. Another truck had a prime rib sandwich and lobster roll. Both were not as good as anticipated. The pizza looked good as did the various fried breads but we didn’t sample those.
A couple of festival etiquette notes:
- If you get there late and the band is playing, set up your chair and sit down. You can catch up with your friends later. There’s usually a break between bands. That’s a good time to converse. Also, your friends enjoyed the gifts you brought and you all stood up and admired them. We watched all this unfold from right behind you. Missed the encore though.
- If you decide to leave early, take your chairs to the side to put them in the bags. Once you have the chair in the bag and didn’t go to the side, leave. Wave goodby to your friends from the edge so you aren’t blocking the view.
- If you want to have a long loud conversation with your friends, move to the side or go together to the beer line and bring me one.
- If you really like the song and want to stand up and dance, they have an area for that in the front. Go there…
- Try to have some situational awareness while walking around and through the crowd. Walking backwards is never a good idea. Many people look before they suddenly change direction. Be one of those people.
The bands were excellent. A good mix of national acts and local flavor. They had a side stage so there weren’t many long breaks between acts. We really enjoyed Hanna PK, and The Record Company, neither of which we had seen before. I wasn’t feeling like walking up to the stage for pictures most of the time. Sorry there aren’t more.
We received an email from the venue about pre-purchasing shirts. Turns out they were from last year. Guess I didn’t read the fine print. We didn’t purchase any of this year’s shirts. Did get a cool tie dye collar shirt.
The New York State Fairgrounds are pretty amazing. Solid brick buildings that look more like a government building than a dairy barn. Lots of money was used to put that place together.
All in all we would consider returning depending on the line-up. They spoke of someone who passed away this year that had a big part in the festival so the future may be unsure for this one. Someone probably needs to step up and take his place.