everyday life & health
Fencing Festivals
By Dave Cohen and Keya McCloud
Dec 2, 2002, 14:54

On the weekend of March 11 and 12, 2001, the Bob Marley Festival was held in scenic Eleanor Tinsley Park. A crowd of about 150 people gathered Saturday evening to listen to Reggae music, sample Caribbean food and simply relish the pleasant weather.

One look around the festival’s perimeter, however, completely kills the free and fun-loving quality of the venue. The festival erected a 10-foot chain-link fence to surround the entire park. The fence was put there to ensure that people did not bring their own beverages or food inside. Anyone trying to bring such items inside had them confiscated.

According to John Florez, producer of the Westheimer Street Festival, the fencing has become a trend within the last two years. The practice has become a “necessary evil” due to neighborhood and Houston City Council restrictions.

“As producer of the festival, I along with everyone else who works here are accused as irresponsible and are held accountable for many unreasonable conditions,” Florez explained.

Florez, 59, recounts an incident at the 1999 Westheimer Street Festival where a man was killed in a drunk driving accident on Interstate 45 at 4 am.

“Authorities pointed the finger at us,” said Florez. “My festival ends at 8 p.m. That gave this person eight hours [afterwards] to get blinding drunk. I have to protect myself.”

Last May, the festival was moved to Eleanor Tinsley Park, west of downtown Houston on Allen Parkway. Houston’s Department of Public Works refused to issue a permit last year, citing problems with traffic and general disorderliness.

“Residents of the Westheimer area petitioned City Council to move the festival to a different area,” City Councilman Carroll Robinson said. “Many people had been complaining for years of unseemly behavior.”

Florez says he supports the fencing off of festivals, saying it gives the venue a sense of control. He feels that some festival holders might fence off venues out of greed, wanting all the admission money they can get. However, his festivals are free and his fencing is to ensure the safety of festival goers.

The producer explains that the only way to fund the festival is through concessions. Not allowing outside food or beverages into the venue insures, he says, funding for next year’s festivals.

“(Concession) booths help finance our festivals. When people come in, we need them to drink our bottled water and our carbonated drinks,” Florez said. “This is the only revenue we receive and this is the only way I can keep bringing back quality festivals year after year.”

According to Florez, the average cost of each Westheimer Festival is approximately $100,000. Neither Florez nor other Westheimer Street Festival Corp. employees are paid.

“We do not do this for money, we’re just celebrating life and lifestyles,” Florez said.

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