An XMTS Celtic Festival? Has BCWizard pondered the idea?

[NorCalPiper]

i was thinking that the 2nd weekend in October, there is a HUGE park in south Sac (Elk Grove) that hosts many festivals....Why not a Celtic one themed for XMTS on that weekend. The weather is absolutely perfect, and nothing is ever planned at the park that weekend. Actually-has anyone even thought of this at any point-An XMTS Celtic Fest?

[Smayniac]

The second weekend in October is the traditional date of the Ventura Games in Southern California. That will draw much of the southern and some of the northern Rabble from the Golden State.
Bob

[RockyR]

Have you thought aboutthe following:

who would find /contact / organize / collect money from the vendors, organise / pay the insurance, apply / pay for the permits and hire police, write up vending and performer contracts, book the bands and pay them, find sponsors, find volunteers, advertise the festival, rent Port-o-potties, rent a stage for music, rent SOUND equipment for the bands, etc.

Would the festival be free or would there be a cover charge? If there's a cover charge, is there a way to stop people from sneaking in? Who will be paid to watch the gate? How much will the ticket price be? How much orange fencing would need to be purchased?

What other celtic festivals are happening the same weekend (one mentioned above) and how many people will be drawn to that other event. How CLOSE (drive time) is that other event? How long is the history of the other event?

How many other festivals / events (non celtic) are happening within a 2 hour drive the same weekend? What is the 'Celtic Population' in the area? What is the disposable income of those families?

When picking a date and planning a festival, there are TONS of things to be considered. When we do our festival, we only do 1/3 the work (if that... our partner Bill Reid from 'East of the Hebrides Ent.' does most of it) and it's almost a full time job.

I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade... just making sure it's thought through and you know how much actual work is involved.

[Bob C]

We're spread too far and wide to make a major gathering possible. It's great that so many of us have formed small gatherings and that some have traveled to visit others they met here. It's probably best left at that.

[rocscotjoe]

Seems to me that organizing XMTS as a group at an existing festival is the way to go. I am a member of the Scottish Heritage Society here, and we've actually gotten a check from festival organizers for being one of the Clans. Clan XMTS?

[cavscout]

I have toyed with the idea of attempting a "celtic fest" here in GA at Chateau Elan in the highland games "off season". It's totally in the hypothetical phase at this point but since the Chateau would likely be able to generate revenue from the visitors meals, room and board,... I would think I could obtain some help from their organizing resources.

All that to say, maybe there is a location such as the Chateau on the west coast that would be more feasible.

[Steve Ashton]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Please understand that as much as it would be great for our members to have tents and advertise our forum at festivals and games there are many legal hoops which must be jumped through and a lot of paperwork that we will need to complete before that can happen.

Also please remember that we are not a Scottish Clan, nor can we present ourselves as one without the express permission of The Court of the Lord Lyon and recognition by The Standing Council of Scottish Chieftains.

The closest we could come is a "society", similar to the other societies that do have tents at events. But even that would still require that we set some standards for how our members would represent us. The Moderators and I are working on a set of standard procedures for an X Marks public presence but we still have a long way to go from a legal perspective. This is not to put a damper on everyone's enthusiasm, but to state the realities at this time. I would like to hear from anyone who has experience and who would like to provide input into the process. You can post these ideas in the open forum or, if you prefer, by PM to me.

[rocscotjoe]

The closest we could come is a "society", similar to the other societies that do have tents at events. But even that would still require that we set some standards for how our members would represent us. The Moderators and I are working on a set of standard procedures for an X Marks public presence but we still have a long way to go from a legal perspective. This is not to put a damper on everyone's enthusiasm, but to state the realities at this time. I would like to hear from anyone who has experience and who would like to provide input into the process. You can post these ideas in the open forum or, if you prefer, by PM to me.

I suppose that is what I was suggesting in my earlier post, more of a "society" presence (please know Clan XMTS was facetious!). Our heritage society functions as an educational resource for people interested in their Scottish roots, or often, if they have any Scots roots at all. An XMTS presence could serve a similar educational function about Kilts, history, epoch appropriate apparel, and such. Quality control is, I am aware, an issue. An XMTS presence would not want people with agendas, or bad information, representing the forum in a public setting.

That said, I have attended enough festivals this past summer to think XMTS could be a solid contributor as an information resource.

I am, humbly yours,

Seosamh