Milwaukee Festival June 2,3,4 - Busking

[Jim]

Thursday, January 05, 2006 at 13:59:14
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I would like to sugest an event to list as a busker event, it is in Milwaukee, uses about 6 acts for the last 5 years. Most acts are from out of the state with some from out of the country.
The show pays small stipends and some travel allowance.

The show has large crowds and all the acts have been happy with their hats over the years.

The event features bands, marketplace, fireworks and eating to attract over 100,000 people downtown in the beginning of June every year.

Any questions, my cell 414-350-4070
Email: ralphgar@aol.com

Thank you,
Ralph Garrity

The event site is www.riversplash.com it is under construction currently but you will get an idea from the E Brochure.

[pablo]

Beware...

"All the acts have been happy with their hats over the years."

Really? Hmm... that's not what I've heard. In fact, quite the opposite.

This event is run by the same people who run Milwaukee's Bastille Days. Do a search on the p.net boards and you'll find all the details.

Buskers beware.

[le pire]

it's all right here:

milwaukee

[pablo]

Riversplash

The "milwaukee" thread that le pire indicates is mostly about Bastille Days, Summerfest and Irish Fest.

The Riversplash festival has also been reviewed by members of p.net, and none of them sounded too "happy."

[le pire]

and as Pablo mentions, these festivals are run by the same people. I don't know if I wrote this in that Milwaukee thread, but at the end of Bastille Days festival, I had a conversation with the lovely young lady who works for the city planning group that actually runs the festival (they outsource the acquiring of entertainment to Ralph Garrity (as they have done for a NUMBER of years)) and she asked me for my thoughts.

I told her straight up that audiences were fun and huge, but really stingy when it came to hats. She said she was familiar with this (she lives in Milwaukee, after all) and asked what a solution would be, and I suggested making it a paid gig, pure and simple, no hat.

Another problem (discussed extensively in the Milwaukee thread) is that the assigned pitches and timeslots were unworkble and we were left to our own devices. Simply put- they weren't paying us, so they really did not care if our shows happened or not. Acts that were paid up front, like bands, they made SURE were a success.

Buster Keaton's father once remarked that "if they entertainment is free... then it's crap."

My suggestions for improvement were ignored... I guess because it came from "crap." If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer them "off forum."


etienne