It is my first year at TBF, I’m so excited! I have so many questions. Some of them have been answered since I have read through this forum but I still need help.
How exactly does the tarp thing work? I’ve seen a couple videos of the tarp run but don’t understand. You bring one on Thursday and race to place it down and leave it in same place all weekend? Or do you put it down everyday in new spot?
Also I have read about bringing the right size chair. I’ve heard that you can bring regular chairs in certain areas. But is that far from the stage that they are allowed? I read about the low chairs and just wondering if that is the way to go?
We are staying in Mountain Village so we will be taking the Gondola everyday to TP. With the wide ranging weather I’m wanting to be prepared. Any advice on what to bring for spending the whole day? We will do some hiking and other sightseeing. Can I bring a backpack full of everything I might want? Or should I plan on going back to condo a couple times a day to eat change into appropriate clothing. How long will it take us to get from TP to MV? And if we spend the whole day down around TP, can we leave chairs that we bring on our tarp while we hike or go into shops/pubs in town?
Is it possible to bring in a small flask? And our own food for the day?
http://www.bluegrass.com/telluride/rules.html
will answer most of your questions :medal
No to flask
Yes to food :thumbsup
Low chair in front of sound booth, higher chair behind
Tarp is daily run for the roses/poses :eek
MV more than once during the day will seem like a lot. Many people pack for the day- layers otherwise you will end up with a drawer full of sweatshirts or fleece from festivals, like me
There is food inside the park
I would plan on 30 minute travel from Mtn Village to Town Park, longer if there is a long gondola line. Can you get your flask into other shows and concerts? View it like that. Low back chairs are appreciated throughout the grounds. The tarp run is each day and everything gets cleared out each night.
As far as clothes are concerned check the weather for rain/snow but bring pants, long sleeves and jacket for when the sun sets. It gets considerably cooler at night. roundtrip festival to mtn village and back is an hour and thats with no hanging around at the condo.
You can leave your chairs and tarp in the festival and people will generally not mess with them but don’t forget to grab it before you call it a day.
Agreed with the comments about clothes; it always shocks me how, even on a sunny day, a breeze can cool it down to the point of needing long sleeves. Sunny and 70 and I’m dressed for summer; cloudy and 70 and I’m dressed for fall.
Lots of vendors around (in the Fest and in town) who sell quality longsleeves free of terrible prices, if you need it, but I would pack for multiple weather scenarios, as things a) definitely get cool at night and b) can change quickly.
I know it’s already been said, but I don’t suggest traveling back and forth between the Fest and MV any more than you need to. We’ve been staying in MV for more than 10 years and we’ve got it pretty much down to a science.
I dress warm in the mornings because tarp line is FREAKING COLD. These same clothes double as my after dark clothes. I make a quick change into shorts/t-shirt after putting down the tarp and before eating a breakfast burrito. I pack rain gear, sunscreen, snacks, water bottle, tarp and all other misc. festival goodies in my backpack. I’ve not made it back to MV after several Nightgrass shows and I’ve been just fine for the night and the following day with what’s in my backpack. IMHO, this is the way to go.
That said, if you really need a break in the middle of the day, a trip up to MV can be great. The gondola line won’t be bad in the middle of the day. It gets long mid / late morning and again at the end of the night. From noon until dark, it’s usually not too bad.
Thanks for all your help and suggestions! Wish it was June now. One last question, if I bring hammock are there trees close to or in TP that I could hang it from? Just in case I need a catnap:)
There are a few places just outside the festival grounds where you could possibly hang a hammock, such as the area around the kids fishing pond which you pass by between the festival box office and the actual festival garte, but there’s nowhere inside the festival grounds to string up a hammock. If you’re not camping in the on-site campground I’d say leave the hammock altogether. There are some nice grassy areas in the shade around the fishing pond or by the San Miguel river if you want to sprawl out for a nap, and you can still hear the stage just fine from there, but you’ll have enough stuff to pack back and forth each day that I think the hammock would be superfluous.
For travel ease, I recommend something from Crazy Creek, though they can get Crazy Expensive. REI has a similar product for about half (search “legless chairs” on their site). They’ll fit in a suite case and take up minimal space.
How are you getting to the festival? do you have time to buy them once you’re in CO? That may be the easiest move. REI downtown Denver if that’s possible.
