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                                        Ossipee Valley Music Festival FAQ

Dates and Location!

July 25th-28th, 2024

291 South Hiram Road, Hiram ME


 

What are the prices of tickets? Do you sell day passes

The prices of tickets are listed for the year here if we are sold out it will indicate that there as well. 

We do sell day passes. Note that each section is a dropdown with a small arrow, you will see Thursday displayed for example, but if you click the arrow you will see the day passes for the rest of the days.

 

What are the hours of the front gate?

Sunday-Tuesday 9am-6pm 

Wednesday 8am-7pm

Thursday-Saturday 8am-11pm

Sunday 8am-4pm


 

Does a ticket include camping and parking?

Camping (without hookups) is free. However, because our camping space is limited and sells out, we do ask each ticket buyer if they intend to camp (in their ticket form at purchase). We use these numbers to tally capacity so it is very important that you answer honestly (if your answer is maybe, put yes!). We may eventually sell out of space (before the festival starts). If this happens, we will switch over to offering 'DAY ONLY' tickets. These tickets are only for those who do not camp over. 

We ask that you are respectful of the rules, and do not camp over if you have purchased one of these 'DAY ONLY' tickets. All overnight camping cars will be given a special sticker.

Parking is included in all passes.

 

What is an after dark-ticket?

An after dark ticket is a discounted ticket for anyone who is arriving at or after 6pm to just see the headliner/evening shows. These tickets include camping overnight (must be out by 10am) or can be used as a day pass. For example, if you are coming after work on Friday and staying Saturday and camping over Fri/Sat, you would purchase an After Dark Friday, with a full Day Saturday. Day passes include after dark, there is no need to purchase a Day and After Dark pass for the same day. 

 

Are there any discounts available?

Yes! Here are some options 

1. Volunteer 12 hours and receive a free 4-day pass and a merch coupon!  

2. Sign up for our newsletter to receive discounts throughout the year

3. Email us at info@ossipeevalley.com for special discounts for nonprofit groups, senior living centers, military, indigenous, immigrant and other community groups.

4. If you are local pick up a shopping guide to receive a $10 coupon! This makes the cheapest ticket to the festival $35 for over 8 hours of music on Friday night!

5. If you live locally (up to Bridgton, over to Standish, down to Waterboro, over to Freedom and everywhere in that radius), you can come to Sunday which is Maine Artist Day, for FREE!

 

What forms of payment do you accept?

At the gate we accept cash, check or card. Most vendors accept cards, but some are cash only so plan to bring some cash or visit our Bangor Savings Bank location in downtown Cornish. 

 

Does this event sell out? What about hookups?

Yes-this is a moving target. 

Folks who purchase tickets in advance are asked to indicate if they are camping over. We use these general numbers to estimate how full the campground will be, but your ticket does not indicate a specific site, it just indicates there will be space for you. How roomy your campsite is, or whether it is under a tree, or in an area you want to be in, depends on when you arrive. We ask everyone to limit space to one sleeping setup + a 10x10 area per rig. These sites do sell out. 

Most of our RV sites are first come first serve, however as of 2024 we DO sell packages that include RV hookups for those coming for the full week. We sell out of RV spaces by Wednesday, and every year it gets earlier. 

If camping has sold out for the current year it will be indicated here. Once camping has sold out we will continue to sell day tickets without camping, marked DAY ONLY. If day tickets are sold out it will be indicated on the same page.

 

Are dogs allowed?

Unfortunately only Service Animals are allowed on the grounds, this includes for day and camping attendees (do not bring your dog and leave them in the car, you will be asked to have the dog removed).  We no longer allow ESA animals, unfortunately because multiple people were using this policy to get dogs into the festival which were not treated as ESA and ended up being badly behaved, as many lovely dogs do when presented with difficult circumstances. We currently have too limited a square footage to be able to allow dogs on site. Many of our staff are dog lovers and have pets at home, but dogs are stressed by crowds, heat, and hundreds of new dogs all at once, and they act out in surprising ways, or bark. We have additionally had experiences with agressive dogs being brought to the festival.

If you bring a service dog they must have paperwork, a vest, and must be at your side and under your command at all times.

 

Are campfires allowed?

In 2024 there WILL be campfires allowed only in our NEW campground Crooked River, which is adjacent to the festival Ossipee Fairgrounds.

Unfortunately at this point campfires are still not allowed on the actual Fairgrounds. This is NOT our decision (we do not own the property). We will keep this updated. You may still bring a grill if you wish to cook, or may even bring a propane stove, or propane campfire. These are the rules as of right now, hopefully we can have campfires again in all areas soon.

 

What are the campsite rules?

We have designated areas for RVs with generators or hookups, and quiet camping.

You can bring a popup camper or totally dry RV into any area. You can car camp. 

Generators are allowed in designated areas with limited hours. Please prepare accordingly, and do not expect to power anything but essentials.

Everywhere else in the campground besides quiet camping, you are able to play music all night long! (so we recommend bringing ear plugs if you are a light sleeper).

We ask that you limit your campsite to your tents and a 10x10 communal area for every two tents in your camping area. We are limited in our capacity and sell out, so please be considerate of others and of our organization as you set up your campsite.

We ask that you be neighborly, and look out for one another and negotiate camping space and noise in a friendly way on both sides of the negotiation.

 Weapons are not permitted on the fairgrounds.  

Campfires are currently not allowed on the Ossipee Fairgrounds. They are allowed (in a ring) on the Crooked River sites on our expanded land.

 Alcoholic drinks and other legal recreational items may be consumed at your campsite. They may NOT be carried around the whole fairgrounds to public areas such as the dance, concert area, vendor row, etc. 

Amplified, pre-recorded music: Handheld speakers projecting your playlist, car speakers turned up, 

While there are many areas without 'noise restrictions', our staff may at their discretion ask your group to reduce the amount of noise you are making in order to make the festival experience more enjoyable for others. This would not include playing live music, for example, but may include shouting, yelling, or breaking the generator or amplified music rule.

Are there restrooms and showers onsite?

Yes, we have restrooms, portapotties that are cleaned multiple times per day, and onsite hot showers in our new six unit showerhouse! 

 

What about water, ice, ATM etc

There is potable water at every spigot on the grounds, ice is sold as the Masons booth on vendor row. There is an ATM at the merch station. We encourage you to use cash to reduce vendor card transactional fees! 

 

How late does the music go? Are there quiet areas?

Music goes until 11pm on the stage (big amplification), and starts again on Stage Too! as early as 10am. Music goes in the brews and bluegrass tent and dance barn (smaller sound systems) until 2am (drinks served until 1am). 

There is quiet camping at the far end of the fairgrounds, it is marked on the map and with signs.

 

What food options do you have on site?

We have over 15 different food and drink vendors and a farmers market! Vist our vendor page for more details. 

 

What children's activities do you have on site?

Children 17 and under are free at the event, and we have a free children's music program with loner instruments called Roots and Sprouts. We also have a children's play station that is open daily from 10am-5pm called Seedlings. This station has games, arts and crafts, and activities all day long! Visit our Kids Activities page for more details.

 

Are there hotels in the area?

Yes! However they typically sell out months ahead of time. Please check out the Camping page for more details.

 

Is there WIFI?

Nope. Get off your phone and dance!

If you need to check in with the real world, the local library in Cornish has great WIFI. Currently the local coffee shop is closed as our friends Margaret and Dan are on maternity leave!

 

What is your chair/blanket policy?

Blankets are welcome, however please do not bring chairs that have a big awning or place a tarp or popup that will obstruct people's view. We do have shade tents at the back of the seating area, with chairs set out for those who don't bring their own. Our general chair rule is that once you put it out it becomes a communal chair and anyone can sit in it. Once you arrive you can ask the person sitting there to move to another chair. Blankets are cool, but generally they are placed in the back near the shade tents so you don't get trampled on and you can see!

 

What is your alcohol policy?

You may have your own alcohol at your campsite, we ask that you do not have cans of open alcohol in the seating area, and that you do not bring cans or glass onto the dance floor, or anywhere else in the campground besides your campsite. 

We recommend visiting the Brews and Bluegrass tent for delicious beer and cider on tap from over 15 different local breweries!

Marijuana is legal in the state of Maine, you may have it at your campsite in legal amounts, you may not sell it. Other, illegal, drugs, are not allowed. 

We pride ourselves on being a family friendly, safe festival. We request that you act with the awareness of being with or around families and children, and behave with consideration towards others at all times. We do have contracted security services if any significant concerns arise.

 

Do you allow dancing in front of the stage?

We do have an area where dancing is allowed all the way to the stage (left hand side). For the right side we request that folks stay off to the side of the stage to dance. This is marked. Please note that while we do our best to enforce these rules sometimes (especially if an artist requests dancing at the stage), they are not possible to completely maintain! We ask that if you are in the first 10 rows that you are aware that dancing in the front may happen and plan accordingly, this is especially likely during the Saturday night headliner slot or any 'loud' band. We DO ask everyone to dance during the last 15 minutes and encore of the headliner sets and do allow dancing down in front on both sides at that point. We are a festival for everybody, including sitting & listening, dancing, and the artists themselves, who love to see a show of their own in the audience reaction.

 

Is there a map?

Yes, you can find it here.

 

I signed up to volunteer, when will I hear back?

Thank you! Generally we do not fill up with volunteer spots until right before the event. We typically do not accept walk-in volunteers, but you can always ask! 

We do not send a confirmation email to you when you submit your form, but as long as you see the confirmation on the website itself when you click submit you should be good! It may take several weeks for our staff to return your email, as we are also working on other projects and jobs. However, be assured that we are sifting through applications and assessing the best place to put you, and we will get back to you soon!

If you have not heard back within 30 days, please contact us at info@ossipeevalley.com

 

I applied to be a vendor, when will I hear back?

Vendors typically are always accepted onto our waitlist or 'next year' list when they apply. We limit the number of vendors in each category (i.e. type of food or type of craft), so if we already have several vendors in your line of work (common with jewelry), we may not be able to accept you. Generally we only accept applicants that hand make or sell hand made products, and prefer food vendors that work with local and organic ingredients.

You should hear an acknowledgment of your application within 30 days of submitting.

 

I applied for StageToo! When will I hear back?

We receive hundreds of applications for Stage Too every year. Our lineup is posted on the website by June 15th, but we do not personally write back to all applicants. We thank you for submitting and invite you to submit again next year, the process is competitive as we have 10 slots per year to grant, meaning that less than 5% of applicants are chosen. 

 

What is your Refund Policy?

Our event is rain or shine, the artists will be there to perform. We do not give refunds for weather, and we encourage you to come and enjoy the event! We have lots of tents and undercover areas. 

We do give refunds if the artist also gives us a refund, an example would be the year 2020. Or some sort of natural disaster, act of terrorism, etc.

We will give you a refund for other reasons (medical, job, etc) prior to 30 days from the event. We do ask that you do everything yu can to first simply transfer the ticket to a friend, all you need to do is send them the barcode.


 

It says on my ticket application that this event sells out, but also that it is first come first serve, please explain, do I have a campsite?

We use this question on the festival ticket buyer page to track how many campsites we can expect to be filled at any given time. We will use this data to sell out if it looks like we have the number of people requesting space that we estimate that we have available. If you have purchased a ticket before we sell out, even if you won't be arriving to Saturday, you can expect that we have sold out prior to every single space being filled on the grounds because we know you have bought a ticket and are planning to camp. 

That said--we do not reserve or hold individual campsites or certain amounts of space. If you arrive on Saturday please expect that you will have limited space available to you for your tent, and that you will not be able to camp alongside your tent.

 

How do I get a Free ticket to Maine Day as a local?

Just show up day of and show your drivers license or other ID or mail at the gate! FREE tickets are for residents of:

Hiram, Cornish, Steep Falls, Porter, Parsonsfield, Baldwin, Brownfield, Standish.


 
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