First off, the site is gorgeous. I love that the back of the stage was open to show the canopy of trees behind. I love the layout of the grounds showing the natural beauty of the arboretum. The stage looked amazing and changed scenes during the day. At first the beautiful foliage was on display, then the settings sun shone through. Then the leaves were lit up for night. It's a wondrous site I would love to experience many times over.
Then there was the lineup and organization. The festival was so excellently curated to provide an amazing vibe throughout the day. Polished and quick changeovers between acts with a cool set of tunes to fill the time between bands made the whole day enjoyable. Every member of the team that I encountered was friendly and accommodating. Everyone from the food vendors to the security staff to the first aid attendants worked together to make the day special.
Just one criticism; there was no running water on site to fill water bottles. Hopefully the RBG team can figure out how to make this happen for future years. Especially on a hot day such as this one, having the ability to fill your own water bottle is essential. And it leads to a more environmentally friendly festival with less waste without having to buy and dispose of one-time use bottles.
Click the links below to see my photos, read my thoughts and hear some tunes from each band that played.
