miami nice talks to dan from festidan

Did Festidan really start as a birthday party?  

Yes, there used to be an empty lot in front of my parents house where I used to have Slip n Slide parties every year with my close friends.  When they started construction on the lot, i had to look for a new location.  Kickball gave me the idea to inquire about doing it at Bicentennial Park.

 

Are you the "Dan" of Festidan?  

Yes, the summer of the first Festidan i went over to Spain with a friend of mine Robbie (who i share birthdays with) and we went to a festival to see Pearl Jam called "Festimad".  That's where I got the name from.

 

How are you a cool enough dude for your birthday to be turned into a community block party?   

I think I'm cool enough to pull a few hundred, but thanks to social networking such as Kickball and Facebook we can get a descent crowd.

 

I know this is a giant jam, but there's a charity element to it too, right?   

Thats right, originally since it was just a bday party i wasn't into it to make any money, i just asked my friends to help me cover costs.  When the event took off, i decided to keep the same and just donate any proceeds.

 

You have some really solid local acts booked. Did you put that together?  

 Yes, I've been around the local music scene for a while and I have some close friends that will be performing.  All the bands play probono for the charity.

 

Free beer?  

Why not?

 

What kind of people have you had at the past two Festidan's?  

Festidan attracts a post college graduate demographic, ages 25-35 I think.  A shirt and sandal crowd which i think is a perfect marriage with the Grove

 

Do you have like a million friends?  

just a hair over 700 according to facebook

 Last year at Festidan

 

Do you think it's going to change in it's new home in the Grove?  

This block party theme is going to be interesting to see how it plays out.  Regardless,

Festidan will stay in the Grove for good, I'm a Grove resident, and I'm always looking for ways to give back to my community

 

Speaking of the Grove... how did you manage to get them to let you block off a whole street?  

Lots of phone calls and meetings.  Definetely a learning experience.

 

Can you tell me your wildest memory from the past 6 years of Festidan?

 At the first Festidan, a bunch of my close friends got on stage and were rocking out with Day Music Died while they were covering "Send me an Angel". 


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