Every second, the countdown on the Nelsonville Music Festival website ticks closer to the May 13 opening.
This year marks the three-day festival’s seventh year, and it will be more impressive than ever before, said Tim Peacock, the executive director of Stuart’s Opera House and the Nelsonville Music Festival.
“Bigger isn’t always better, but I think this year it’s bigger and better,” Peacock said. “… There are more actual performances happening and more better-known bands than ever before.”
With a greater collection of well-known bands, the three headliners have acted as a big draw for audience members. The Flaming Lips, in particular, are attracting more ticket sales, Peacock said.
Advance ticket sales this year are higher than they have been in the past, and online orders will continue this week and next week. Tickets will also be available at the gate all weekend.
“As of right now, we’re doing better than last year, and I don’t think that’s unusual,” said Brian Koscho, marketing and promotions director for Stuart’s and the festival. “I think that with any event like this, the more you do it … you gain a reputation and get new people coming in, and there’s the hope that each year it gets a little bigger.”
In addition to the numerous well-known artists performing this year — including George Jones, Neko Case and Yo La Tengo — audiences are attracted to the festival by the laid-back atmosphere, Peacock said.
“I think it is, for the price of the ticket, comparable to some great festivals that happen in big cities, but it’s a very small-town kind of feel,” Peacock said. “It’s not overwhelming crowds, but the music and the show are super professional. It’s a kick-ass festival in a rural area.”
The Nelsonville Music Festival’s location in Nelsonville, a small town many people outside of the region have never heard of, does not hinder the festival’s success or ability to draw in big names, Koscho said.
“Bonnaroo takes place outside of a town that is much smaller than Nelsonville, so I don’t really think it much matters,” he said. “This is our seventh year doing this event, and I think the festival can speak for itself. … If you put on a good event and you’ve done it for years … the event speaks for itself.”
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