November 03, 2009 Calendar+Scene » The Scene

Noisy Harborfest gets shut down too early 

Haunted Letdown

by Alison Sher
click to enlarge Alison Sher
  • Alison Sher
   
 

Latest in The Scene

I actually woke up upset with life the morning after the Haunted Harborfest. The event was rumored to be Charleston’s premier Halloween party. With an indoor and outdoor stage hosting bands like Dub Island Soundsystem, Chronicles of the Landsquid, and Manic Motion until 4 a.m, it seemed like there was no way Harborfest could be disappointing. Especially after it was announced that the late-night mystery guest was going to be Derek Vincent Smith of Pretty Lights.

The event was a sell-out. When we arrived shortly after midnight, a line of people were waiting to get past security. Located right on the marsh, the Vue at Ripley Point seemed like an ideal location. The city lights and stars flickered past the boats in the harbor and the smell of salt water made the breeze feel gentle.

But the inside of Harborfest was clamorous. Hoards of people packed the place, and though we saw some killer getups, the costumes were mainly a glut of girls dressed as sexy (insert noun here)s. At one point the venue was so full, security guards on the stairs were almost stampeded by people trying to make it to the bar on the balcony by the indoor stage. They stopped serving alcohol early, and though it was previously advertised that Harborfest would be BYOB after 2 a.m., security made people pour out their drinks before entering — a rep from Collaborative Productions says this was due to liabilities with underage drinking.

For those coming from the Pretty Lights show at the Music Farm, a $10 discount was offered. But as soon as they arrived, so did the cops, and at 2:30 a.m., everyone was sent home — according to our source, a noise ordinance had been filed.

Derek Smith of Pretty Lights says he was just as disappointed as anyone when Harborfest got shut down. Smith asked us to extend a personal apology to his fans.

We’re not the only ones that traded our tickets to the Music Farm to see Pretty Lights at Harborfest instead. It was like we spent the whole night waiting to see a show that never happened. What hurts the most is not the money spent on tickets and costumes, or the case of PBR that never got consumed. It’s hearing about how mind-blowing the show at the Music Farm was, and knowing that this Halloween, melting our face off to Pretty Lights was the one thing we didn’t get to do.

Tags: , , , ,

Comments (8) RSS

Showing 1-5 of 8

Add a comment | All comments »

Oh, Mofred. I'm not concerned about the heat. Just the fact that you were incorrect.

Feel free to get in the last word.

Posted by chrishaire on November 10, 2009 at 2:06 PM | Report this comment

Mofred, I've spent plenty of time in Louisiana, there is no closing time and no mayhem.
The big problem is everybody going home at the same time, and making too much noise at that time.
Also, we live in a 24 hr society now. Shift workers have as much right to go out as everyone else.
Here we have people moaning about "socialism" because of government health care.
Who gave the government permission to tell us what time to go to bed?
Eliminate the closing times, pass and strictly enforce a noise law. A good side effect of that, no more dogs outside barking all night.

Posted by FCB on November 10, 2009 at 1:59 PM | Report this comment

No. I stopped watching when the blanket you were attempting to hide behind became, shall we say, compromised by "blowback." Watching giggling inebriates doesn't turn me on. C'mon, Chris, even if your point was to graphically illustrate the need for more public facilities in the historic district, I do think you could have made just as valid a point without going to that tasteless extreme. It amounts to nothing more than cheap sensationalism to tickle the funnybones of the binge-drinking underagers who are likely the demographic who are most upset that Harborfest turned off the taps. I would also suggest that most tourists in our town don't set out to see just how much beer their tissues can absorb and then toddle off to gauge where they'll end up when nature calls. History, the arts and tourism are economic mainstays in this town and while it may seem ever so chic and headily iconoclastic to play the rebel and bite the hand that feeds you, it might play better to pander less to those who resent this town for not being New York or LA or even New Orleans, and realize that they are not the principal source of your advertising revenue. While it's perversely flattering that you took the time and effort to respond to my commentary, you really shouldn't be so defensive. In your professional position, you have full control of the soapbox. Therefore, you should be willing to take a little heat.

Posted by mofred on November 10, 2009 at 1:13 PM | Report this comment

Mofred, I'm taking it you didn't watch the entire video.

Posted by chrishaire on November 10, 2009 at 11:46 AM | Report this comment

I stand corrected, FCB. In Birmingham, Alabama, you can drink around the clock; also in Vegas and Hawaii. Some major cities, not many, allow for 3 or 4 a.m. bar closings. Even up the road in Florence, you can drink in a bar 'til 3 if it's beer you're imbibing. In most states and major municipal areas, though, including LA, Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston, the shut-down time is 2 a.m. unless you are licensed as a private club. More than enough time to get oneself pickled, IMO. Even NYC is looking at backing off the 4 a.m. closings and in fact will not issue new liquor licenses to bars that plan to operate past 2 a.m. (and in some cases even earlier). Plus, smaller cities like Charleston don't have the public safety resources (read, police, EMTs) to deal with the mayhem that would occur from extended drinking hours. We already have enough drunk drivers around here, as well as more than enough late-night pedestrians who think the "historical" (to use the term so dismissively bandied about by a previous poster) doorways, parks, gardens and alleys are perfect places to empty their bladders or divest themselves of their dinners. Heck, the managing editor of the City Paper posted a video on this site which showed him peeing on the Battery seawall. He thought it was amusing. Nothing like setting an example, but apparently, he doesn't think that's part of his job description.

Posted by mofred on November 10, 2009 at 10:52 AM | Report this comment

Add a comment

Classified Listings
  • Il Cortile Del Re We went to Il Cortile after the Mike Moran Furniture show at Rebekah Jacob Gallery… -project_runwayHottie
  • Baked Heaven!!! The service was friendly & suggestive not to mention knowledgable on all the incredible… -alicia66
  • A.C.'s Bar and Grill Love A.C.'s brunch. Chicken and waffles are the best cure for a hangover. If you… -chaslovah
  • Tokyo Bistro The Sushi is AWESOME, their Dancing Dragon Roll is the best sushi I have ever… -Megan
  • Paisano's Pizza Grill The Colbert is the best pizza I've ever had! What a great mix of flavors,… -beach
Most Viewed


Powered by Foundation   © Copyright 2009, Charleston City Paper   RSS