Dana Point may have a new music gathering to look forward to this coming year. At the City Council meeting on Tuesday night, Feb. 18, the council and staff heard a proposal from SiteSix Inc. for a festival titled “The Good Life Gathering,” which would center on Americana and Classic Rock music and be held at Sea Terrace Park in November.
Former Dana Point Mayor Joe Muller and seasoned Orange County event coordinator John Reese gave the presentation, hoping to obtain the approval for the permits they need to proceed with the planning process.
Reese has helped produce multiple festivals in the past, including Back to the Beach, Ohana, Surf City Blitz, Lost Lands, Driftwood, and County Jam and Campout. Based on these experiences, he hopes the new festival will give back to the community more than the others.
As proposed, this festival will directly benefit the City of Dana Point, unlike some of the previous festivals. Muller and Reese want to bring the festival to the community, featuring restaurants, businesses, and even the acts on stage.
“ One of the things that has always bothered me about the events we did in town is we never really benefited the city directly with these events,” Muller said. “That’s what the idea behind this was. We’re Dana Point people coming together to benefit Dana Point. We want to give back to the community, and our goal is to give money back, at least 5 percent of our ticket sales. … We want to work with (the council and city officials) as a whole and put on a great legacy event.”
The proposed event would be a two-day festival at Sea Terrace Park from Nov. 8-9, featuring national and local artists yet to be named. If this permit is approved, Muller, Reese, and their team will be able to start working with artist coordinators to plan appearances and to begin contacting businesses in Dana Point to plan their involvement.
Muller and Reese hope to showcase local cuisine, specifically farm-to-table organic food from local Dana Point restaurants and breweries, highlighting the community’s culinary diversity. By having them at the center of the event, they also want to support local nonprofits by raising awareness and funds for their causes.
More importantly, they want to boost the local economy. By attracting visitors, the event could benefit local businesses, restaurants, and hotels, contributing to the economic vitality of Dana Point, which is their end goal based on an estimated attendance of 9,500.
“ I had a production company for 18 years. We raised millions of dollars for nonprofits, and it’s a huge part of my soul and what I’ve done historically. Whether it’s the military or local, it’s an important part of this whole thing,” said Reese. “Giving back is important, especially to the community. My kid went to school here, so for me to screw this up, there’s not a chance of that happening, first and foremost, because I’m passionate about the community. … That’s our goal.”
Though the new festival concept looks good in writing, several councilmembers raised questions about how this would affect Dana Point over that pre-holiday weekend, potentially disturbing neighborhoods and local businesses and previously scheduled events at the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach and The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel
“ I have no doubt that this is going to be a great event and that it’ll have a lot of local flavor,” said Councilmember Michael Villar. “My concern is our neighbors around that area. If I’m getting married at the Waldorf on that day, that’s gonna really stink to have a giant concert going on the day that I’m getting married. It seems like there is not enough time to coordinate with the neighbors up there, even at the Ritz or other local businesses.”
“ I’ve spoken to general managers for The Ritz and the Waldorf, and the Ritz is completely booked, and the Waldorf is almost booked,” said Councilmember John Gabbard. “The Waldorf has already planned a bluffside night event for one of the big schools in the area. It’s a big fundraiser for them, and this is going to disrupt that process and that event. I’m all for the concert. I don’t want anybody to think I’m not supportive of the idea, but I hope we’re all neighbors, and we need them to succeed as much as this is proposed.”
Villar, Gabbard, and Mike Frost were particularly concerned about noise and traffic congestion that, according to a staff report, could affect nearby residents. Concerns about parking and accessibility may also arise and need to be addressed in any permits issued.
The group has already reached out to Salt Creek Beach to use their parking for guests attending the event.
To combat the noise issue, Reese explained that if the speakers were positioned facing away from the nearby businesses, the noise would not affect them.
“ The positioning of the stage and where we’re placing the stage is pointing towards the ocean. It is not in your traditional summertime events, where it’s pointed towards Monarch Point,” Reese said.
“It will be pointed towards the ocean. You don’t hear much if you go to Coachella, for example, and go behind the main stage, and that’s our plan. Treble and mid-range are single-directional, not multi-directional sound waves like bass. If it’s a loud bass scenario, then there would be issues with the Waldorf and Ritz. But I don’t foresee this being of any problem to them.”
There is also concern about staffing pressure on the city’s behalf. The concert will require some city staff resources, as officials will need to coordinate logistics, security, support services, and monitoring since this event is taking place on city property.
Although there are many issues to work through in the planning process, none of it would go forward without the approval of the permit organizers are seeking. After answering many questions from councilmembers and staff, they received conditional approval.
“ This seems like almost a natural extension of our popular Summer Concert Series. We’ve proven that you can ‘do fun’ with previous festivals,” said Councilmember Jamey Federico.
“Our very popular summer concerts in that park are very well attended. … They’re popular, people love them, and it’s a great way for people to use that park and have a good time, so I’m generally in support of this plan.”
SiteSix Inc. was approved for the conditional permit to work with staff to meet specific deadlines. To prove the impact on Dana Point, the council and staff will receive lists of businesses and acts they have booked at milestones leading up to November. The company will also work with The Ritz-Carlton and Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach to mitigate conflicts.