We have a meeting each month where we take a break from our work and practice brainstorming about ways to improve everyday items. We thought an appropriate name for this meeting was "Build a better mousetrap," but as it invariably happens to long titles, we shortened it to "Mousetrap."

This Month's Challenging Topic: Build a Better Summer Festival

Tribester Responses

My biggest issue with Summer Festivals is they have become so large scale that any intimacy with the performers is basically stripped away and the experience of attending leaves me feeling like a small fish and a very overcrowded pond. So for me I would think a move towards improvement would be to limit the amount of people who could attend and if demand is high just stretch the number of days the festival will run.

If I were a member of a band I would love this concept as it would allow me to not only connect with my audience on a more smaller scale but would also allow me to be in a city or town for a longer length of time.

As a fan of a band it would be more worthy of my dollars to attend a performance in this way.
-- Tony Passero

I think the key to a great summer festival is having a wide variety of high quality food and drink for sale. I'd cite the Pitchfork Music Festival as a great example. Every year, they've managed to bring in local vendors large and small to offer an amazing selection of festival-friendly foods, including Thai, African, and Indian along side the more familiar BBQ, burgers and Mexican. Walking (and smelling) through the aisles of food vendors is nearly as enjoyable as the festival itself!
-- Andy Owens

Go to Milwaukee and attend any one of their festivals: Summer Fest, German Fest, etc. and then go to Chicago's Taste. Hilarity ensues. In Milwaukee, the fests are held on permanent fair grounds, complete with washrooms, dining, seating and so on. In Chicago, those attending the Taste have the luxury of dining on the lawns that serve as public restrooms for the city dog population. Awesome. Add to that the fact that the Taste gets placed on Columbus Ave. and causes gridlock for ten days.
-- Mike Chorvat

I love summer festivals whether they are music, event, or food related. I love being outside taking advantage of the sunshine and people watching around me. However, I do not like having to use a port-a-potty when I am at a summer festival. They now have nicer portable facilities that actually contain a sink and flushing toilet, making the outdoor experience better for everyone.
-- Carrie Pendergast