The last thing Graham Williams and James Moody wanted to build was another Coachella. “We wanted to create a festival for not-festival people,” Moody says. When the duo launched Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, Texas, in 2006, Williams and Moody took a look at what their ideal music festival would offer and what others don’t have, including highlighting hip-hop and punk; they also introduced comedy before it was a music festival staple. Both Williams and Moody work in music venues and wanted Fun Fun Fun to “replicate that experience in a festival environment as much as possible,” Moody says.
With the festival’s 10th anniversary this year, taking place November 6 to 8, the co-founders are looking to shake up the way they approach lead-up events, which give potential attendees a taste of what to expect. “Marketing-wise, we have to say, ‘Hello, how are you?’ a handful of times throughout the year,” Moody says, comparing it to dating. Rather than hosting a big reveal for the debut of the lineup announcement, they’re focusing on organizing eight to 10 different events to give future attendees a preview. “We’re changing the way we relate to the audience, just as a thank-you for 10 years,” Moody says.
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Previous lead-up events included a deadpan press conference, laser tag, a bingo game, and scavenger hunts. There’s also the Aqua Olympics, which started in 2011, where participants compete in water sports like paddleboard jousting and land games like potato-sack racing for tickets and prizes. “The idea of a three-day event is so sad if you think about it,” Moody says. “If you can’t stretch it out across 60 or 90 days, three days is just over so quickly.” Last year, the team hosted a drive-in film screening. For this year’s announcement, organizers released a video starring Bill Nye the Science Guy, who examined the science of fun, the 10th anniversary theme.
Like other music festivals, Fun Fun Fun Fest isn’t without its headaches, even as organizers look to update and streamline the experience. This past fall, festival attendees had to deal with massive waits for will-call wristbands due to a new layout configuration and other factors. After speaking with city officials, organizers opted to let everyone in without wristbands at 8 p.m. Moody explains that they took the time to address attendees’ problems, even well after the festival.
“You just need to acknowledge that it happened,” Moody says, “and take accountability for fixing it.” He went on to add, “We have to build and earn trust in every area.” Williams and Moody are taking it as an opportunity to examine the entire process. The pair worked closely with their ticketing company, Queue, to ensure this year’s logistics run smoothly. To address any potential problems, the festival is adding more pickup stations around Austin, mailing wristbands in advance, and adding more staff on site, as well as having a backup Internet connection. Despite the incident, 2014 was still Fun Fun Fun Fest’s biggest year. Attendance was up 25 percent from 2013. “We want it to be so good that you forget everything,” Moody adds.
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