You could excuse Sam Calhoun if he gloats a bit about the success FloydFest Odyssey enjoyed earlier this year. Fresh off the fear of the pandemic, the festival, which had gone quiet like almost all others in 2020, returned loud, proud and pretty damn safe. Definitely worth boasting about.
While other fests remained locked down or overly cautious, Calhoun’s show – “FloydFest Odyssey 2021” – went on. Fans enjoyed Music. Magic. Mountains. in the hills of Virginia.
The odyssey didn’t end after the show. It seemed to endure after the closing act, like notes carrying through the hills of Virginia. One of the first to cancel in 2020, they were among the first to return with a “traditional” (no pods, no distancing) fest in 2021.
“The afterglow of getting through Odyssey is wild,” says Calhoun, producer with promoter Across-the-Way Productions.
“We had worked two years for that moment. Coming out of the pandemic, it was surreal, such a blessing that we got through it successfully and safely. It’s invigorating.”
What changed from one year to the next? Not much – and plenty, Calhoun says. During the down time, his team honed their skills. They returned with an improved Covid safety plan, beyond the one they had in place for 2020. Then they over-communicating with friends, partners and festival goers. Calhoun guesses they heard from or contacted 100 or more guests daily. “Transparency” is standard operating procedure with Team Floyd.
“Everyone wanted to feel heard, they wanted information at their fingertips, they wanted to feel safe,” he says. Team Floyd also spent a fair amount of time and effort beating back the posers, hackers and scalpers who hoped to take advantage of people eager to hit the show.
‘Blessed’ with Good Timing
Most of all, they were lucky with timing. The show came after vaccines made their run and before the Delta variant hit. Those few cases they knew of the team contact traced best they could.
“We were very blessed,” he says now.
Once the show was over, Calhoun traveled the live music and festival circuit. He took in Goose’s “Fred Festival” at the Lockn property four hours from his home in Boones Mill, Virginia (Goose also performed at Odyssey). He did the Front Porch Fest, MerleFest and Rooster Walk. His goal: to see how others were handling their fests, to spot new talent, and to amp the next FloydFest.
In what’s become an annual rite, they also surveyed some 1,200 of the 12,000 total patrons to ask what worked and what could have been done better.
What improvements will patrons experience in 2022? More offsite shuttles to shorten lines and wait times, and more portable toilets. They’re extending the early arrival window to reduce what can be a stressful moment.
They’re also improving the VIP catering and overall experience. Backstage at the mainstage in the Bitchin’ Sauce VIP Pub, VIPs are likely to see, dine and drink (all you can consume) or just chill with performers or take in a private show.
Don’t worry, you’re not harshing the artist’s vibe. They’re cool with the scene.
At first, “artists will say, ‘I’m not hanging out backstage,’ and 45 minutes later they’re in the pub eating with people and having a great time,” he says. “The artists tell me, ‘People don’t treat us like rock stars, they treat us like people.’ It’s a great experience for the artist.”
Tent & RV Camping Abounds
Thinking of camping? It’s a unique experience at FloydFest. Perched on the edge of Rock Castle Gorge, the VIP area is tent-only. But all forms of tent, van and RV camping opens up on other areas of the 80 acres. The wooded Delta Lot welcomes RVs and Park & Camp a 10-minute shuttle ride from the main grounds. Wanna get your festi-grunge off at day’s end? It has showers and bathrooms, plus potable water for cooking and cleaning, bottled water and ice for sale, a food truck and a camp store.
At night, hang by one of the campfires around the grounds, each in large, custom-made metal cauldrons decorated with FloydFest branding and maintained by staff during all five days and nights of the festival.
Sorry, no personal fires, but small personal grills are allowed.
Ticket holders with RVs can set up relatively sprawling camps within 20’-by-40’ marked spaces. Delta’s powered RV spaces feature one 20-amp GFI receptacle per camp space. BYO adapter.
Volkswagen buses — as well as camper vans that have sleeping quarters self-contained within — are allowed to park and camp in the 20-spot “private-reserve” niche onsite campground. Patrons must be driving a Volkswagen van or “Van Life” vehicle to enter the festival site with this ticket. V-Dub/Van Life parking is located along the rim of The Village terrace tracing the mountain ridge.
X-Spot Onsite Park & Camp Pass serves the car-camping enthusiast. Each 20’-by-20’ hosts one vehicle, one tent and one additional shelter. Non-powered RV sites measuring 20′-by-30′ are big enough for an RV and an EZ-UP. Sorry, no tents.
Have a generator? “Quiet Hours” run from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. nightly.
Campsites don’t come with an event ticket. That’ll run you extra. That said, most RV sites are sold out. “Demand is through the roof,” Calhoun says.
Have more questions? Team Floyd expanded the FAQ section of the website to over-over-communicated. “We spent a month dialing in this detailed FAQ section,” he says. It shows, with a friendly, conversational tone and Sam@’s email plastered all over the site.
Another change this year was out with the old ticketing vendor, in with the new.
“It’s no lie that we had a rough time with our former ticket company and they didn’t give a good patron experience,” he admits. That said, the launch wasn’t without its glitches. The busiest-ever first day of ticket sales saw a third party extension fail for a half-hour. The team fixed it, then reached out to affected patrons.
“That goes back to our philosophy that, as long as you communicate, people respond to that,” he says.
Family friendly from the start – it’s the property owner’s rule from the start: No kids, no festival – Calhoun considers FloydFest “a sanctuary for families and children.” Where some fests are raucous, Blue Ridge Outdoors named FloydFest the “Best Kid-Friendly Outdoor Destination.” The Children’s Universe spans several acres of prime real estate in the main field area, offering workshops, a toddler playground, a kids’ Open Mic – all while parents look on or watch a set on the Dreaming Creek Main Stage.
Kids can join in on the Peace Parade midday Saturday, with jugglers, puppets, stilt walkers and musicians. BYO costume or borrow one from the stash. Want more details? Hit that FAQ.
“We want people to come out saying, “This was the safest, most positive event for me and my children,’” Calhoun says.
The Heartbeat of FloydFest
The most visible change from year to year is the theme and logo. This year’s theme, “Heartbeat,” speaks to how the FloydFest family is thriving. “This is bigger than each of us,” Calhoun says. “It has its own heartbeat. It’s larger than life. The onsite art will play on that.”
The line-up should be no surprise to returning FloydFest fans and first-timers alike. Acts announced so far include Grammy-winner Melissa Etheridge, singer-songwriter Marcus King, rising roots-music star Amythyst Kiah, Lake Street Dive, soul/funk act Durand Jones & The Indications, roots/gospel/funk performer Neal Francis, Sierra Ferrell, Aaron Frazer, and 2021 FloydFest “On-the-Rise” competition winner, 49 Winchester, and runner-up, Sexbruise?
Watch out for flying pancakes, he warns.
Calhoun is stoked to bring in up-and-comer Morgan Wade was discovered by Sadler Vaden, the Grammy-winning producer and guitarist with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.
The next drop comes on December 3.
With each talent drop, tweak to the 80-acre fairgrounds, or partnership, Calhoun wants one result: memories seared into minds.
“I want people to have those, ‘I’ll never forget the experience I had on that mountain,’” he beams. “I love the word ‘indelible,’ marks that can’t be removed or forgotten. That’s what we are creating up there, in addition to keeping people safe. That’s the end game. In the pandemic, we’ve seen that people needed that music and arts community more than ever. America became unhinged at the end of the pandemic. It has this medicinal feel.”
Music. Magic. Mountain. Absolutely seems like the medicine fest fans could use right now. And definitely something worth boasting about.
FloydFest 2022~Heartbeat will be held July 27 to 31, 2022, bringing five days of Music, Magic, and Mountains to Floyd County, Virginia. Click here to learn more about the event.