MISSOULA — Scott Osburn of Always On LLC is proposing to bring a large music festival to Missoula’s Playfair Park in 2024.
The festival would have one stage but bring in 10,000 to 20,000 people a day over the course of two days in July.
The event would be self-funded by Osburn, a University of Montana graduate.
“I really enjoy music and I think music festivals are a great thing and it’s a great thing possibly for Missoula.”
However, she doesn’t want a big festival at a neighborhood park. “I feel very strongly that Playfair Park is not the best location and venue,” Coille Putman stated.
She went around the park and knocked on doors at 13 houses to gauge opinions. The results yielded, four no answers, one in support of having a festival, three had deep concerns, and five who had no idea that the event had been proposed.
Putman was concerned by the number of people who did not know about the festival, saying she wishes that communication with neighbors would have been better earlier on in the process.
Osburn presented on a variety of topics on Monday evening at the City Life Community Center, including neighborhood disturbances, traffic, sound mitigation, environmental impacts, safety, and local economic impact.
The Missoula City Council requested that Always On LLC hold the meeting to answer questions from neighborhood and Missoula residents directly.
On parking, Osburn said that they would be leasing parking at the fairgrounds, making that the entrance and exit point for the event. Parking would need to be paid for in advance.
An hour before music begins, the festival team would close parts of Bancroft, Pattee Creek, and Stephens that surround the park. Organizers also may set a system up where neighbors would need a special decal to get through to their homes.
Camping would not be allowed in the neighborhoods and there would be security and emergency services at the park. Additionally, a hotline would be set up for all complaints.
As for noise, houses nearby would get some sort of support such as a free ticket or assistance if they wished to leave their homes during the two-day festival. Headliners would get to play louder than other performers — ranging from 70 to 85 decibels — until curfew at 10 p.m.
Osburn said that the decibel level of the music does not account for the noise made by festival-goers. He also stated that a sound log — sharing the decibel levels reached — would be sent to the city.
Many at the Monday night meeting had concerns about the environmental impacts, with some stating that the fields they play on would be without grass for the remainder of the summer.
Osburn detailed that he would have to re-seed or re-sod grass if it were to be damaged during the shows. There will be before and after footage taken to make sure the festival is acting in accordance with contractual obligations to the environment.
“I live right on Bancroft and so this directly affects us," said Tiffany Seaman who lives across from the park and has kids who play sports there.
She says there is a lottery to use the space and some groups wouldn’t get to have their event or game if the festival takes place.
“It’s not a benefit to the neighborhood and it would actually take away from some of our attributes to the neighborhood and the usage for everybody,” Seaman told MTN.
The Missoula City Council will discuss the festival further in the Climate, Conservation, and Parks Committee meeting starting at 1:20 p.m. on Wednesday, November 8, 2023.
