Despite setting new Number Fest records for attendance totals and arrest totals, Saturday’s 9Fest was a relatively peaceful day for local law enforcement.
Fest organizer Dominic Petrozzi said that, as of Friday afternoon, there had been 10,000 ticket sales, adding that he expected attendance to reach about 15,000 people throughout the day. According to a previous Post article, last year’s 8Fest had 13,000 people in attendance.
Ohio Investigative Unit officers arrested 111 people Saturday, mostly for underage violations, but also for drug offenses, disorderly conduct and fictitious identification. As of 8:30 p.m. Saturday, the Athens County Sheriff’s Office had made four additional arrests.
By comparison, Ohio Investigative Unit agents made 76 arrests at last year’s 8Fest.
“This year, the traffic flow is more organized, and the event is bigger than last year,” said Lt. Rodney Smith of the Athens County Sheriff’s Office.
The event was policed by Athens County Sheriff’s Office deputies, and Athens County Emergency Medical Service was also present.
EMS services have not always been on site. Rick Callebs said that, four years ago, because of the frequency of calls, the department began to supply staff and ambulances in order to be proactive rather than reactive.
“We are here trying to prevent problems,” Callebs said.
By the end of the day, Callebs and his team said they had seen about 45 medical issues, most of which were related to intoxication, numbers that were average compared with the EMS team’s previous experiences at Number Fest.
Though the event was hosted at the same venue as last year’s 8Fest, there were some major changes, including cutting down from three stages to one.
Petrozzi said the event would run smoother with the change
“The main stage is such a focal point,” Petrozzi said, “Last year, the other stages got ignored. This year, we wanted to focus on better acts on one stage.”
Doors opened at 11 a.m., and ticket holders were queuing up for an hour before they were let into the field. Some partygoers waited eagerly, but others were just happy to be there.
“I’m not that desperate,” said Ben Sweeney, a University of Cincinnati senior. “We’re drinking anyways.”
Crowds peaked about 3 p.m. and began to wane after headliner Chip Tha Ripper’s performance, which received much enthusiasm.
“I love Chip,” said Lindsey Hurley, a junior studying education. “He sings real songs, not fake songs.”
Other well-attended performances included Timeflies and 12th Planet.
“I loved everything about it,” freshman Bryan Waldron said.
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