Not So Fun
Frustrated Fun Fun Fun Fest-goers won't get refunds despite will call disaster
The buzz surrounding the first day of Fun Fun Fun Fest has less to do with headliners and more to do with long, long lines.
On Friday, festival-goers waited for hours to pick up tickets from the will call line. The line stretched across the South First Street pedestrian bridge and around Cesar Chavez Street. Wait times averaged between two and four hours.
Late Friday, Fun Fun Fun Fest issued the following statement on Facebook regarding the logistical problems:
Today many of our fans experienced significant delays with the check-in process due to a significant single wave of unexpected demand.
As you know, Fun Fun Fun was displaced from its former location in 2013 and was forced to create a completely new layout and process due to the renovations at Auditorium Shores. This dynamic alone creates challenges for staff and customers alike.
Since 2006, FFF has operated under a strict no refund policy, which remains today. Knowing this, we found it unacceptable to allow our loyal fans to miss their favorite artists, simply because of a delayed check-in process. So, we decided to take drastic measures to address this, by allowing the remainder of the line into Fridays nights show regardless of the check-in process. We did this in consultation and with the blessing of City of Austin officials. Ultimately, our primary concern is always safety in the line, safety in the fest, and safety on the way home – so we needed to coordinate with all parties to make sure this was a smart and effective solution.
We would like to personally apologize for any delays that our fans experienced today, and would like to thank everyone for their patience as we adjust to this new location for FFF.
Next steps:
Queue (The FFF ticketing partner) will keep the box office open after the festival tonight to assist any customers still needing credentials for the weekend and for Nites.
The box office will open tomorrow at 8am for early check in, customer service, and questions and answers.
Now that we have identified the problem and allocated resources to fix it, we are confident that tomorrow’s lines will be back to normal.
Please share this with your friends so everyone can stay informed. Thanks y'all.
FFF
Fun Fun Fun Fest continues through Sunday, November 9 at Auditorium Shores. CultureMap will update this story with any new information regarding the festival's ticketing policy.