The second annual Escapade Music Festival that took place on July 1st was a resounding success. The festival, produced and promoted by Marquis, Projekt Events and A-List Entertainment, presented by the New Hot 89.9 and sponsored by Smirnoff, Smirnoff Ice and Red Stripe, was the biggest event of its kind that Ottawa had ever witnessed with 3,500 ticket holders present.
This year's Escapade Music Festival showcased some of the best talent in electronic music from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. from top local and international DJs, including Tiesto, Laidback Luke and Calvin Harris.
"We are extremely happy with how the event turned out – from the anticipation, to the DJ line-up, to the production and attendance, Ottawa met and by far exceeded any expectations we had," said Michael O'Farrell, Marketing Director, Escape Music Festival. "We have received a tremendous amount of great reviews from attendees and artists and are thankful to each and every person who supported the Escapade Music Festival this year."
In spite of the festival's great success, Escapade has received concerns from a few ticket holders regarding entrance and wait times for the festival. Due to circumstances stemming from Canada Day celebrations, city layout and permits, the simultaneous arrival of 3,000 attendees, and necessary security measures, reasonable and expected delays were experienced. In addition, over 2,000 people without tickets attempted to get in to the festival causing further delays.
"Our first priority is and will always be the safety of our patrons, staff, artists and pedestrians," said O'Farrell. "We acknowledge that some were understandably aggravated by the wait times. We are by no means taking the negative reviews lightly and welcome any feedback on how to improve future events. That said, we hope ticket holders recognize that we put appropriate security measures in place to keep everyone safe."
In order to ensure the safety of attendees, security measures included mandatory checking of IDs and bags, as well as oversight by local authorities. Due to these precautions, ticket holders were protected and got through the gates as safely and smoothly as possible.
With record attendance, the Escapade Music Festival is planning on building on Friday's excitement to bring similar events to the Nation's Capital. Planning for the 2012 annual festival is already underway with organizers meeting with larger venues in order to make next year's Canada Day festival bigger and better.
