No RosFest for 2023

[ProgFan]

From their Facebook page:
Time to make it official. Given the current general economic state, we have decided that there will be no RoSFest in 2023. We hope to return in 2024. We know that this is a disappointment to many.
RoSFest is a non-profit organization that depends upon donors. The festival itself does not generate the sufficient funds required to put it on at the level at which people are expecting. A single large donor basically subsidized the 2022 RoSFest. We hope to use this time to broaden the donor base in preparation for a 2024 RoSFest.

[NogbadTheBad]

Sad news, is this the end?

[moecurlythanu]

Sad news, is this the end?

It's certainly a relevant question. Regardless of the legitimate reasons for such a move, (as with CTTE,) as these festivals take a year of intermission, both the artists and the fanbase continues to age, with more and more aging out. It has to call into question how large the window of viability is for these festivals moving forward.

[LASERCD]

Moving it out of the Northeast corridor didn't help.

[Garyhead]

It seems like the business model is to piggyback with CTTE.

[markwoll]

If only they had a 'free' buffet and drinks.

[Dan Marsh]

Moving it out of the Northeast corridor didn't help.

I was thinking the same thing.

[Steve F.]

It seems like the business model is to piggyback with CTTE.

Yes, but they are unable to piggyback any of the bands from CTTE, because the moment any non US band plays NOT on a vessel in international waters, RoS needs to get visas for them. Which is a headache and a fortune and NOT guaranteed to work.

And, yes, a lot of people go to CTTE, but do they really want more Prog festival activities before or after the 7 or 9 days of CTTE while also needing a separate ticket, hotel, and meals?

Moving out of Gettysburg was a bad move. You move to Florida to retire, not build or grow…..

IMO.

[mozo-pg]

On an individual level, I much prefer the Florida location. I will be retiring relatively soon so a snowbird trip to have a vacation and also see a decent festival is appealing, to ME.

[Harlequin Reborn]

That's true (lack of visas) for some of the bands on CTTE, but many plan US tours at the same time and have already dealt with visas. However, RoSFest skipping 2023 has nothing to do with CTTE. It was purely to give us time to put RoSFest on a better long-term financial footing.

John Blangero

[JKL2000]

^ Welcome to Progressive Ears, Harlequin Reborn!

[Firth]

If only they had a 'free' buffet and drinks.

Yeh but you pay for that Golden Corral on a boat. Is this thread a channel for the “why ROSfest won’t work” folks?

[Firth]

Why I like ROSfest!

[SteveSly]

On an individual level, I much prefer the Florida location. I will be retiring relatively soon so a snowbird trip to have a vacation and also see a decent festival is appealing, to ME.

I loved Gettysburg, but prefer the Florida location as well. Coming from Michigan it is actually cheaper for us to fly to Sarasota than it is to fly or drive to Gettysburg. I also love the town of Sarasota as well. They are much better suited to handle crowds of people in between bands.

That being said, the ROS fan base is mostly in the Northeast, so the move probably hurts them overall.

Either way, I hope it survives in the long run.

[Firth]

My flight to Sarasota from BWI, was good, and the Uber to the hotel blocks away from the venue. Without a car, I wondered how I would do, but it turned out great. I ate a number of meals at Whole Foods from their hot buffet that were quite good. In terms of conveniences, relative to the venue, I like it better than Gettysburg.

[Camelogue]

The model for me to attend a Prog festival is pretty much dead. The mixture of old bands with new and diverse styles is dead.

[pholas dactylus]

moving to Florida to retire is exactly what George did. His vision, hard work, and financial sacrifice was what made RoSFest fly. Thanks, George! Let's hope there is a successful business model out there that the new board can develop. Not sure I'm gonna hold my breath...

[Quantum Cat]

Florida is where all things progressive go to die these days... maybe I'm just too "woke".

[Proghound]

I heard from someone who played there they lost 100k last year. It very well could be over.

[Harlequin Reborn]

RoSFest is a charitable organization, so it doesn't lose money. A single benefactor guaranteed that there was a show in 2022. The Board is attempting to broaden the donor base at this point. The goal is to build a sufficient endowment for the future.

[Brad 2 the Bone]

RoSFest is a charitable organization, so it doesn't lose money.

The former does not necessarily imply the latter.

[SteveSly]

The former does not necessarily imply the latter.

I thought the same thing. I mean, if they have underwriters who guarantee all losses incurred with personal money that could be true, but any festival can lose money even if set up as a non-profit.

Either way I hope for the best for ROSfest. I attended the last 2 in Sarasota and enjoyed them both a lot.

[markwoll]

I'm not an expert on non profit/charitable orgs, but the benefactor would get a write off if the org exists, not so much otherwise. It would just be a 'loss'. Not a 'win', but people have different reasons for donating money and resources.

[Harlequin Reborn]

I thought the same thing. I mean, if they have underwriters who guarantee all losses incurred with personal money that could be true, but any festival can lose money even if set up as a non-profit.

Either way I hope for the best for ROSfest. I attended the last 2 in Sarasota and enjoyed them both a lot.

RoSFest 2022 was guaranteed by a single donor (no strings attached) so that there could be no loss. The hope was to have enough money be generated to guarantee 2023. That did not happen.

[SteveSly]

RoSFest 2022 was guaranteed by a single donor (no strings attached) so that there could be no loss. The hope was to have enough money be generated to guarantee 2023. That did not happen.

Ok, that makes sense. I think my point was that even a non-profit organization can loose money if there is not guaranteed money behind it.