We Hear You: Addressing Your Feedback
Ramblers,
We see you. We see our Ramble community and we feel your frustrations and concerns. We want to do our best to give you more information on some of the changes that are going on with the Ramble. We are always intentionally thinking of our community first, and prioritizing the vibe. We recognize that we didn’t convey this value as well as we could have in our recent announcement or communicate the ways these changes may impact your experience. We want to be as transparent as possible - and to reassure you that this is still the festival you believe in, enjoy, and want to keep coming back to year after year. We hope you can appreciate and understand where we're coming from when we openly say that without these changes the Ramble Festival will cease to exist after this year.
We understand that these changes came as a surprise to some. We were absolutely not trying to surprise you - there is no ill-will or malicious intent in this decision, especially in regards to the timing. We presented this information to you as quickly as we could - details were finalized with us just days before the announcement was made - and that’s why we were unable to provide important context earlier, leading to confusion and frustration. These changes are all multifaceted and we will continue to work on finalizing the details. Each one of these changes is being implemented to support the continuation of the vibe, a more safe and secure festival, and sustainability of the Ramble for years to come. The reality of the small independent festival is that they are quickly becoming a thing of the past; as larger corporate-backed festivals continue to rise, many smaller festivals are being forced to stop operating as ticket sales are down, and the costs of operating a festival continue to go up significantly. This is such a vibrant and beautiful community, and we don't want it to go to the wayside like so many others before us. If we don’t evolve now, next year may be too late.
Regarding the change in our alcohol policy - we get it. And in your spot, we may not like these changes either. The Ramble Festival was built to be a fest that we would love to attend. We’ve built that festival, and we'll continue to promote and support the family-friendly, community-oriented vibe the Ramble is known for. Reasonable car checks by festival folks and having a hand in the on-site alcohol consumption allow us to move further towards the continuation of the Ramble that you love. The removal of the fence as a physical impediment to the vibe and bringing the community together with less barriers continues to be a driving factor in this change.
There’s a balance between staying true to who we are and running a safe, secure, and sustainable event - and we’re working hard to achieve that balance. We’ve considered every solution available to ensure the sustainability of the Ramble, because we know that every policy change we make matters. We’re doing everything we can to keep alcohol accessible and affordable for attendees that are 21+, while ensuring that we follow all required laws and regulations. We are working on releasing the drink menu - including revised prices - so you know what to expect and can budget for the weekend. We assure you prices will be reasonable, and in some cases less than before. We believe in this community and the way its members support each other - your purchases support small businesses, including the Ramble itself. Without each of you the Ramble wouldn’t exist. Your buy-in and support for this community and the understanding that sometimes change is necessary, is crucial.
Last year we had an off-site parking setup and intended to implement the off-site lot. However, when we looked closely at the attendance prior to the event, we made a last minute call to fit all vehicles on-site to improve the ease of your experience. The number of cars that need to be parked this year exceeds our capacity on-site and we must use an off-site lot, located a short two minute shuttle ride (0.9 miles) to Camp Ramblewood. Car Camping and RV pass holders will arrive directly on-site to check-in and park. All others will arrive first at the off-site lot & box office to check-in and receive their passes before driving on-site and dropping your gear. After dropping your gear at your campsite or cabin (if before dark on Friday), or at the gear drop location on-site, you will drive your car to the off-site lot, and take the short shuttle ride back on-site. You will not need to put your gear on a shuttle to transport it from the off-site lot. We don’t like having to shuttle gear from an off-site lot at festivals, and we aren’t going to ask you to do it either. For anyone arriving after dark on Friday, you will be able to drop your gear on-site and the Vibe Tribe is available with golf carts to help get you and your gear to your campsite and settled. It is also a quick and easy ride, shorter than walking across the festival grounds, if you want to make a run to your vehicle throughout the weekend.
Our unrelenting dedication to intentionally curating this space for the Ramble community to grow and thrive has always been, and continues without question to be, our first and foremost priority. These changes are the best shot that we have to be ramblin’ together well into the future - the Ramble is just in its third year, and we’re all in this together. We understand that you may not like these changes on their face, we hear you. We ask that you keep the faith and trust in us to continue to provide a space that you are not only happy to come to for a few days of shared community and unique experiences, but that you continue to feel like home while you’re here. You trusted in us the first two years to create something special, and by all of your accounts, collectively we created something spectacular together. Will you give us a shot to show you that this year is going to be every bit as magical as you’ve come to expect with minimal changes to your experience, and join us in continuing to support and build the Ramble community?
With most humble sincerity,
Brick
