Palmer Place Fest is amping up its music this year with 11 DJs, but event organizers believe Palmer Fest will maintain its position as Athens’ number one party.
The music at Palmer Place will kick off at noon Friday, and Palmer Fest’s potentially drenched partakers will get the party started at 11:00 a.m. Saturday.
“Palmer Place is like the pregame of Palmer Fest,” said Tyler Schindewolf, resident of 17 Palmer St. and CEO of Blimp City Records, which is sponsoring a concert at the house throughout the day Saturday.
Schindewolf and his roommate, Blaine Comeione, a local event planner, are setting up what they hope to be Palmer Street’s biggest event, with 12 artists playing throughout the day starting with rap at noon and finishing with headliner bustedBASS.
This will be the second year their house has put on this kind of event, and Comeione said that the residents have been careful to remain within city codes.
City officials are also affecting Palmer Place Fest’s music, making Kieran Manzi, the event’s co-organizer, lower the DJ’s stage to the ground floor and shut the music off at 11:00 p.m.
“The initial goal was to evolve Palmer Place Fest into Palmer Place Music Festival, and take the image of it from just another drunken Athens party to a party with the focus on music,” Manzi said. “The city became concerned that it would basically turn into another 9Fest.”
The city has also prohibited Manzi from hanging banners at the event, which made Manzi concerned that Palmer Place’s sponsor, Campus Kicks, would pull out because of insufficient advertisements. But they have stayed on as the main sponsor.
“We like sponsoring these events … the more we can give back to the Athens community, especially the music scene, why not,” said David Hirsch, owner of Campus Kicks. “We’ve been handing out stickers that people have been sticking around town … people will know we’re sponsoring it.
He added that the city’s concerns were legitimate and that the event will focus on growing the music side of the party while remaining within the city’s restrictions.
Manzi’s goal is to distinguish Palmer Place as being one central location where everyone can stay and enjoy the music. In contrast, Palmer Fest has many houses where people come and go without necessarily lingering to hear the music at one location.
The two fests are not competing, said Alex Amerio (djAA), a resident of Palmer Place and co-organizer of the event who will perform at both Palmer Place and Palmer Fests.
Amerio added that Palmer Place Fest will continue to serve as the opening act for Palmer Fest.
wh092010@ohiou.edu
