Outside Lands Festival to return for 3 years... Is this a joke?

"Welcome to San Francisco, where GREEDY government people screws this city."

That's our new slogan because the a new report shows that the San Francisco Park and Rec department has just signed a three year contract to have the OutsideLands festival come back. The city claims they will make $1.7 million a year with this contract.
Did I hear this correctly... OutsideLands II, III, and IV? NO THANKS.

If anyone recalls from Akit's Complaint Department, I posted three blog entries during August 2008's event and attracted so much attention, I received the highest number of visitors and comments ever in a single day. Even one of my newly hired co-workers knew about these blog entries.

See articles here:
"Outside Lands Festival - No Park Street Closure Information"
"Outside Lands Festival - Muni Terrible, Complaints, Not Making Friends"
"Outside Lands Festival - Goodbye, Get Lost, and Never Come Back"

Bringing back Outside Lands? Is the city nuts? So the city raises $1.7 million dollars for each one, but the reality is the city will more than likely fry that $1.7 million and more tax dollars on police overtime, traffic officers, additional Muni vehicles, Muni overtime, trash cleanup, claims of damage by homeowners nearby the park, and plenty more.

And does $1.7 million also cover the anger the residents of the Sunset, Richmond, and Panhandle areas will suffer? Traffic jams, no neighborhood parking, people trashing the neighborhoods, urination and deification in the streets, and the loud noises? People have complained of the noise from Golden Gate Park all the way from THE PRESIDIO. Even a concert at the Polo Grounds in the 70's got complaints from UCSF HOSPITAL, and that's really far away.

Golden Gate Park does not have the appropriate capacity to host a three day nightmare. One day events that are held on a Sunday are good because of low traffic, and it doesn't put a severe impact on the surrounding neighborhoods.

But when you make it a three day event, including on a Friday, you don't just piss-off the residents, but you also tick-off the Friday commuters who have to ride sardine packed trains and buses when trying to get home, and the park road closures WITHOUT ANY NOTICE. Last year, commuters were really mad at both Muni and Outsidelands for the suffering.

And to just prove my point about the event from hell last year, here's a photo from the NextBus program that Muni participates in:


If this event ever returns, the city and event organizers will once again SCREW THINGS UP. Here's a list of things that will go wrong:

• The park will get trashed. The event's goal is to be "green." Yeah right, even the employees littered.
• It's way oversold.
• Muni can't take this kind of abuse. Drivers can't be forced to work days they are not scheduled for, and their union will probably support that.
• OutsideLands organizers will not provide money to provide additional transportation.
• Call these phone numbers and visit these websites: 311, 511, your local SF Police station, your local fire station, your local paramedics station, 511.org, SFMTA.com, the concert's website, and your city supervisor's office. They'll give you all different answers on park road closures. Just wait until you have a heart attack and the paramedics can't rescue you because they were NOT TOLD WHAT ROADS ARE CLOSED.
• Not enough porta toilets, I guess people will be doing their business in a neighbor's front yard.
• One word: STAMPEDE.

If the city still has a chance: ELIMINATE THE CONTRACT. Find a promoter that is willing to host events on Sundays ONLY (three Sundays in the row is not bad).

Send OutsideLands to CANDLESTICK. They've got one hell of a large parking lot and stadium to use.

(First two photos courtesy of Flickr user reidspice under a Creative Commons license.)