3 Improvements That Will Make Your 2022 WE Fest Country Music Festival Experience
The area’s favorite music festival is back, and they have a lot to offer this year! From new construction on and around the stage and patron areas and advanced technology to exciting vendors and, as always, great music. With all of these new and exciting changes, we want you to be ready for the weekend. We’ve talked with Mark Bjerke, General Manager of WE Fest, to make sure you are prepared for the festival! Here are 8 hacks for your WE Fest experience!
1. NEW CONSTRUCTION!
You’ll find that a few different areas of the festival will look a little bit different this year. The WE Fest team strategized to make sure the changes and upgrades to the space would be the best possible for everyone at WE Fest.
“We want to make the experience for our patrons the best it can be, including making the grounds a first-class venue. This holds true for our performing artists as well. This will add a cleaner and more appealing area not only for our VIP customers but the view from backstage for our artists will be much nicer as well,” Bjerke said.
“The addition of the pit was both for the artists and patrons, and both will get a great deal of enjoyment from it. Artists want to be able to have direct contact with their fans, and having a standing room area right in front of them is something they have been asking for. We felt it was necessary to lure and book the biggest and best talent, and what a great experience for our fans,” Bjerke said.
Another new addition this year is the Country Club Bar and Lounge! Patrons can enjoy drink specials, shaded seating and an outside viewing area at the Country Club.
“We feel the VIP experience is second to none in the festival world, so we have been focusing on our GA experience. This will give the GA audience that VIP feel at a very reasonable cost, creating a comfortable place to get some shade, relax, watch the show, get a beverage and see exclusive live performances,” Bjerke said.
This year’s WE Fest Country Music Festival will take place on August 4, 5 and 6 in Detroit Lakes, MN!
What you’ll find:
- A new stage for performances
- A newly constructed pit in front of the stage
- An all-new concrete deck along with the pit area
- This allows the ticket holders to be up close and personal with the artist… aka, the best place to rock out!
What will it look like?
- Area located just east of the stage
- An enclosed viewing area for pass holders outside of the tent.
- Drink discounts offered to pass holders.
The New & Improved Pit Pass
We know your pit passes are one of the best ways to get in and enjoy the concerts at WE Fest. This year they will be issued as lanyards and will be transferable to share with your friends!
The Details:
- The lanyard holder can access either the left or right side of the pit area, depending on what was purchased.
- The pass gives the bearer access to only the pit.
- You can purchase your Pit Pass at wefest.frontgatetickets.com
2. ADVANCED TECH
The technology coming to WE Fest this year is a huge improvement to the ease of enjoyment of the patrons. With contactless payment wristbands and a newly redesigned app, you can worry less about planning and keeping track of things and more about having the best experience!
Updated Employee Experience
WE Fest would not be what it is without the volunteers and staff members who participate every year. It was important to make sure the process of working with the music festival was to be an easy process. To ensure this, employees will have access to the WE Fest employee portal.
What you need to know:
THE APP
- Redesigned for 2022 to be more user-friendly
- Provides info to navigate the festival
- Provides the artist lineup and grounds map
- Locate your campsite or parking space
- Real-time info on the shows and activities
- Ability to alert patrons of emergency information quickly and efficiently
” The app needs to be quick and user-friendly by putting the festival information at your fingertips,” Bjerke said.
THE RFID WRISTBANDS
- Purchase food, drink and merchandise
- Allow access to the grounds and areas with electronic verification authorization
HOW?
- Wristbands are issued to the ticket holder
- Register wristband via phone or computer
- Link credit or debit card to wristband chip OR
- Load cash to wristband at one of the kiosks at the WE Fest venue
What does it do?
- Upon applying, potential employees can upload all of their documents to the secure portal.
- Once hired and on-site, employees can clock in and out using their phones.
- Note—employee check-in will be located at the Ranch House!
- Brings ease of applying, scheduling and tracking employee pay.
Combining the new RFID technology with the employee portal
The team at WE Fest will be able to see real-time data on where the festival grounds need more staffing, based on the wristband data and employee check-in portals… talk about some midwest, high-tech moves!
3. BE PREPARED TO LET YOUR COMPETITIVE SIDE SHOW. THE "CAMPSITE CONTEST" IS HAPPENING THIS SUMMER!
Your campsite will be judged based on three things:
- Sticking to the theme
- Creativity
- How “fun” your site is
The 2022 themes are Buy Me a Boat (Based on Chris Janson’s song) & If I Was a Cowboy (Based on Miranda Lambert’s song).
What can we plan to do outside of the shows?
Lots! Here’s a few:
- Baggo Tournament
- Visit the arcade
- Bull riding
- Axe Throwing
- Pull tabs
- Shop at over 30 craft vendors
- Enjoy good company!
“From a whole show perspective, I would say the most popular thing to do is party with friends. Many of our patrons camp with the same people and may only see them once a year at WE Fest. You hear a lot about a ‘WE FEST Family,’ and that not only applies to the staff and workers but our patrons as well. The thing I hear the most is, ‘it’s like a reunion,’” Bjerke said.
Exclusive Q&A With Mark Bjerke, General Manager of WE Fest
Q: What are you most excited about for this year’s WE Fest?
A: All the new “old” staff members. This is my first year as GM, although I have been with the show for several years, and bringing back many of our past managers and employees has been challenging but a joy. Several had a three to five-year “break” and we are excited to work with them again.
Q: What were some of the important changes that you wanted to make to this year’s WE Fest?
A: That would be the staffing. I really want to get WE Fest back to the fun friendly place we all know and love, and that starts with our staff making our patrons feel welcome and safe.
Q: What do you think is going to be the most impactful change at this year’s WE Fest?
A: People will notice all the physical improvements, but I hope they notice the friendly attitude of our staff and a more welcoming atmosphere.
Buy tickets and learn more about WE Fest 2022 at wefest.com or click the link below.
