The Town of Creston has forwarded the request to host the Rockin the Kootenays music festival to the Creston Valley Services Committee (CVSC), who will determine if the Creston and District Community Complex (CDCC) is an appropriate location to host the event.
In their pitch to the town, Legacy Concert and Events Productions requested that the festival be hosted on the grounds of the CDCC, which is owned by the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK).
The proposed two-day festival — whose headliners are the Red Hot Chili Peppers and AC/DC — would take place next year on May 22 and 23, during the Creston Valley annual Blossom Festival.
“We want to enhance Blossom Festival, rather than try to replace it,” said Mike Cooper, the director of events at Legacy productions. “We started to get some buy-in from bigger names, and we feel that it would be a very big economic boost to the community.”
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Cooper also noted that current challenges on the group’s radar include parking and security.
“Right now, I feel it’s a valuable economic boost to the community,” said Michael Moore, the chief administrative officer (CAO) at the Town of Creston. “We can also certainly support and staff that opportunity to work with Mr. Cooper to meet some of those challenges.”
However, Moore added that the town won’t be able to assist Cooper with moving forward until a site for the festival is confirmed.
“Alternatively, Mr. Cooper is willing to listen to alternate venue sites if the committee feels that the CDCC isn’t a suitable location,” said Moore. “If the committee says that that’s not the best site for them, then we work with Mr. Cooper on the alternative sites. Each option still has logistical challenges that we will need to work with.”
Other possible locations include Centennial Park and the Creston Valley Regional Airport.
“The Town of Creston does own 45 acres at the airport and has hosted a similar event in the summer,” said Moore.
Challenges highlighted by Moore included accommodations and parking.
“You’re going to have an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 people parking. If you assume two people per vehicle that shows up, parking that many vehicles in simple math are about 10 acres of property,” he said. “These events are quite typical of having on-site camping. We would need to work with Mr. Cooper for finding a site that would work for that.”
He added that these challenges don’t need to be solved immediately, however.
“The question will be deferred to the CVSC for venue and selection,” he said.
The next meeting for the CVSC is scheduled for Nov. 5.
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