Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival

Pilgrimage Festival Review: Are We Paying for Music or Everything Else? I recently attended the Pilgrimage Festival, and while the music itself was enjoyable, I have to be honest: the overall experience left a lot to be desired—especially when it comes to the costs beyond the ticket. First off, while the tickets themselves weren’t outrageously priced, everything inside was extremely expensive. They don’t allow attendees to bring in coolers or drinks, which means you’re stuck buying water and food on-site. And let me tell you, a small bottle of water was five dollars each. Over two days, just keeping a family hydrated cost us around $150. Add to that about $60 for burgers and another $60 for fried chicken for a family of three, and the food costs were more like theme park prices than a community music festival. They also advertise being “kid-friendly,” but that was definitely not the reality. There was supposed to be a kids’ zone, which simply didn’t exist, and the only restrooms were chemical porta-potties. For families with young kids or babies, that’s far from ideal. It felt like they marketed themselves as family-oriented but didn’t actually provide any of the promised amenities. On top of that, the parking fee was $150 if you wanted a spot. It all adds up to the point where you have to wonder if the festival is actually making its money off the music, or just off the overpriced food, drinks, and parking. Honestly, it ended up costing us more for two days than a trip to Disney, which is kind of ridiculous for a local festival. Lastly, the main stage lineup didn’t even feature the bigger acts. Instead, they put less-known independent singers there, which felt like a missed opportunity

The best outdoor venue setup with amenities, vendors , food, beer / cocktails and amazing live music! John Mayer was incomparable, as usual!!

I have very mixed feelings and I wish I could leave two different reviews. Biggest hurdle? Accessibility. The festival overall had a GREAT lineup. The vendors and food options were amazing. We thoroughly enjoyed the artists. If I were fully able bodied I'd easily have no problem giving the festival five stars. But I'm not. And that's not to say that they didn't make any effort at all. There were some things put into place that were great. The accessible seating/viewing platforms were fantastic and whoever came up with that idea deserves a promotion. The people manning those, and the staff in the accessibility tent, were pleasant and quite helpful. I appreciated them very much. The plywood put down over the worst of the mud at field entrances was also helpful. But it's really difficult to get around the fact that the festival itself is spread out over multiple grassy (and inherently bumpy) fields, with few to no actual trails, and the "roads" are either gravel or were once paved and have now deteriorated. Those roads are great to walk on, but I'd challenge anyone on the Pilgrimage administration team to experience them in a wheelchair or on a knee scooter. The setup may seem obvious to anyone who's attended, but for a first timer, it's not at all clear that if you use a wheeled mobility device, you'll be in for a weekend of painful, exhausting, bone-jarring, teeth rattling rides around the venue. Additionally, when I contacted the ADA email the week before the festival, in the response there was NO mention made of the fact that the lot for which I'd purchased a parking pass was over a mile away from the venue and the festival doesn't provide a shuttle. Just a quick "You won't even need a handicapped parking placard for that lot! Just come find us once you're on site." I found out after I got there that the city provides a shuttle, but drop-off was 2+ blocks from the festival entrance and the pickup spot was a block further away from that. Plus it wasn't free, cash only, exact change. I don't know if we'll attend again. The rest of my family had a great time, other than knowing it was really difficult for me and having to spend extra time helping me (bringing me food so I didn't have to leave the seating platform again, for example). But to call the festival accessible is really misleading. People who have never been incapacitated as an adult, who've never had to use a wheelchair or a scooter, literally have zero idea. Setting up the platforms alone with no other real physical changes is like a bandaid on a gaping wound. It was a good thing, it honestly was, but there didn't seem to be any other real effort.

The festival is great. I was worried about traffic in and out but had no issues. The only issue was all the rain turned everything into mud and the grounds were a mess and cars were getting stuck in the parking lot. It was still worth the experience of seeing some of my favorite artists.

Nice place to sit down and watch your favorite band.