Pizza parties are fun, but they’re also messy. The Colorado Pizza Festival was no exception.
Longmont hosted the inaugural Colorado Pizza Festival last Saturday selling more than 7,000 tickets. The reactions…were mixed. While some attendees labeled the event a massive success, much louder voices described the festival with much less-forgiving language: miserable, havoc, a failure.
So, what went wrong? Here’s a rundown:
Long lines: Just to enter the festival, visitors endured lines with wait times reaching up to 90 minutes, though that was on the high end. Visitors who arrived in the early evening had little to no wait.
But long lines lingered even after entry. Most of the 23 pizza vendors required a substantial wait for most of the afternoon, ranging from 10-30 minutes.
There was even a line for the water cooler.
Some visitors expressed frustration that, even once they got in line, they were unsure what they were in line for. Lines for individual vendors were so long and densely packed together it was difficult to discern exactly which vendor you were waiting for.
High heat: With 90+ degree temperatures persisting through the afternoon, few shaded areas, and difficult-to-access water, problems ensued. Medical assistance was needed at least once following report of heat-related medical issues from visitors.
Here are some quotes from attendees we spoke to:
“I love the idea of this event, but this is a little crazy,” Longmont business owner Hopi Moore-Sargent said, who owns Summit Wellness Group.
“Event planning is hard. It’s harder when you don’t know what you’re doing,” a Reddit user wrote.
“What happened yesterday was certainly a chaotic frustration, and people got hurt. People were let down. Vendors were busting their asses and attendees were suffering in crowds and lines,” another Reddit user commented.
However…there were several attendees who spoke more optimistically about the festival:
“I was really overstimulated by the long lines and how loud it was, but once we got a slice of pizza, I warmed up to it,” Thornton resident Meghan Shockey said.
“I got my money’s worth. All the pizzas were really, really good, and I got to try some places I never had before” Longmont resident Wesley Cooper said. “It was well worth it.”
Several others lamented the long lines and thick crowds, but acknowledged that any festival in its first year will have significant issues. Plus, when 100% of a festival’s proceeds are sent to anti-hunger nonprofits, they’re willing to give a little grace. Funds raised will be sent to Slice Out Hunger, Longmont Food Rescue, Community Food Share and Colorado Friendship.
Moving forward:
The Colorado Pizza Festival released a statement that stopped short of apologizing but did acknowledge the event’s issues. As the crowds surpassed what they were prepared for, attempts to further admission failed.
“We had ticket caps in place and scrambled to adjust them several times Saturday on the fly, but it didn’t help and just made things more frustrating,” the statement read.
But event officials are imploring for pizza fans to give them another chance.
“We want you to know we’ve read all your comments and messages, praise and criticism, and most importantly, suggestions. And we hear you, we’re listening, and we promise to use all the feedback to make the festival better,” the statement read.