I don’t have the official numbers. I heard a couple of different reports from different people before I left at midnight, but the total number of people at the Magic City Brewfest yesterday was somewhere near 5,000. It really blew away our expectations. I am so happy with how it went.
It wasn’t without some problems. As I stated on the Brewfest website several weeks ago, this was the first event of its kind in Alabama, and none of us planning it had ever planned anything quite like it before. I know the number one problem was food. We didn’t have enough of it, it wasn’t arranged efficiently enough, and the lines were long. I’ve heard lots of comments, and believe me, we are going to do it better next year. More food vendors and more food tents; much shorter lines.
But considering this was our first attempt (with no practice runs) it went remarkably well. Just great. In spite of the long lines to get in the gate and the long lines for food, almost everyone I encountered was very satisfied and having a great time. The music was excellent. The beer selection was the best ever poured in one place in Alabama. And the crowd was huge, happy, and no one got out of control.
There were several folks I wanted to talk with but I was so busy I didn’t really have time. Sorry about that. I never anticipated how busy I’d be on the day of the event.
A huge thank you goes out to everyone who attended, everyone who volunteered, and everyone who showed their support for us at the merchandise booth. We had 84 new members join FTH at our merchandise booth yesterday. And many thanks to the beer distributors and their suppliers who made the whole thing possible.
Get ready for MCBF 2008.
