Another successful FresYes Fest is now in the history books. According to organizer Mike Oz, the event drew 12,000 people to downtown Fresno—up from 6,000 the year before.
With a much bigger footprint, this year’s festival was able to accommodate the increase in people fairly smoothly. With any successful event, there will always be minor inconveniences. (If you thought you you were going to be able to walk right up and order La Elegante tacos without waiting in line, you are clearly living in your own fantasy world.)
But the additional bathrooms and beer stands were a welcome change, as was the family-friendly activity zone. All in all, I’d say this yearly event is getting better and better each year, and Tioga-Sequoia and Mike and all of the organizers deserve tons of credit for that.
FresYes Realty | FresYes.com is a sponsor of the festival, so if you think I might be biased, well, you’re probably right. Nevertheless, here is what I personally loved about FresYes Fest 2018.
1. The Chicken Shack Buffalo Fries
Hanford’s The Chicken Shack was one of the many fantastic food trucks representing at FresYes Fest 2018. I got to try their Buffalo Chicken Fries and, I’m not kidding, I’m considering a drive out to Hanford right now to get more.
2. The Variety in Vendors
There are some truly gifted people in the Fresno area making and doing some amazing things—which is basically a problem. For my wallet. I limited myself to one item this year—an illustration of California by artist Natasha Holland—but believe me, I wanted it ALL.
3. The Volunteers
I’m very selfish with my time, so I can’t imagine what it’s like to give up a Saturday to pour beer for a bunch of fun-seeking festival goers. The volunteers I encountered at FresYes Fest were all smiles, which made me smile.
4. The Additional Space
Even with the extra space, the festival was packed with people (which, hello, is a good thing). But the addition of the lot adjacent to Chukchansi Stadium gave more people the opportunity to enjoy the festival, and gave us all slightly more breathing room. I have to imagine that no matter how much space this festival takes up, it will continue to draw capacity crowds—a sign that organizers know how to put on a worthwhile event.
5. People and Dog Watching
Okay, yes, I was more excited about the dogs than the people, but whatever. I also enjoyed chatting with friends I hadn’t seen in awhile. If you’re basically a hermit, FresYes Fest is a fantastic opportunity to run into folks you like but see maybe once or twice a year. And it’s an opportunity to have fleeting but fun interactions with kind strangers—usually while commiserating over the state of the port-a-potties, a necessary (but welcome) evil in the world of public events.
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There was a lot to like about FresYes Fest 2018, and I’m just scratching the surface here. What were you most excited about at the festival?
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