When the news of the Dirty Rotten Tequila Festival started filling social medias and interwebs, I could not help but feed this insatiable need to attend this festival with an obvious fantastically organised lineup.
Not ever having attended any event at Carfax, the venue was a new experience to me, one which I was sure not to miss. Most festival goers were probably confronted by the fact that this event was going to happen shy of payday, but who weren’t willingly going to break the bank and ask for forgiveness at month end. We only live once, party time was on and who doesn’t want to drink tequila whilst experiencing some of the best live acts South Africa has to offer anyway?
I absolutely must commend the organisers and venue for creating this gem of a festival in the heart of Newtown. Newtown is well known for being host to some of the most outrageously fantastic parties the greater city of Johannesburg has ever seen. My first impressions were slightly skeptical, specifically related to parking space. I need to however qualify this, as the organisers were cautious of this fact, as well as to consequently encourage festival goers to instead utilise taxi services and or to carpool, to prevent any congestion.
This in itself is a mark of responsibly creating an event without the need to put the safety or frustration of festival goers, or other commuters at risk. If I can reiterate this more I would, but kids, please make use of these services, and travel safely in and around areas hosting these events. Driving under the influence is not okay, okay!
The venue itself provides for an unrivalled experience. After arriving via Uber, we had no issues to enter the venue with the efficiency of a Japanese photographer. With no shortage of space, a well-planned outlay of facilities, as well as a general logistical flow concomitant to having a good time, I really have no criticism to raise.
The toilet facilities were never congested to a point where queueing was necessary, which any keen beer drinker, weighing just over 60kg will tell you (who said most people don’t fit into my very facetiously defined demographic…). The food stall was nothing less than amazing. Once the conveyor belt of food towards a hungry crowd started rolling, the food machine just didn’t stop. Fantastically agreeing with the tequila theme, there were all sorts of beautiful and delicious foods to choose from, provided by La Santa Muerte catering. I could not resist the allure of the Nachos available, to which I had absolutely no disappointment either.
The bar, or rather array of bars set up for the event, were super effective and I cannot recall waiting to be served drinks for any time longer than 5 minutes. Multiple areas were designated to service the alcohol seeking party goers, with all being equipped and staffed with the same said efficiency experienced throughout the venue. For those who were keen, I must confess we were extremely tempted to after a barrage of tequila shots, a tattoo area upstairs provided tattoo services, although admittedly, the queues were long, which favoured my tequila inspired inebriated state tremendously!
A big up to Awhe Tattoo & Lifestyle Studio for being conducive to some bad decision making on the spot. The outside area, fitted with grass bales, comforted many seeking to escape the chaos to catch a breath, as well as catch up with friends and co-party goers. For those who wanted to make optimal use of their time, a barber service was provided by Freedom Hair Barbering & Coffee, unconventionally effective is the only thought which entered my mind.
As briskly eluded to earlier, the lineup of artists who bombarded our auditory senses at this event were nothing short of spectacular. I was initially looking forward to Raygun Royale, Southern Wild, Hellcats, Shadowclub and Fuzigish, being among some of my favourite local acts, but the raw talent and shear entertainment determination of all of the acts left me without the ability to lever any sort of criticism.
Without skipping a beat, the entertainment organised for this event was out of this world, not a single dull moment comes to my mind. It was almost as if the Rock ‘n Roll gods allowed the universe to conglomerate one of the best local spectacles any avid festival goer would deeply appreciate. Dancing erupted, more shots flowed and the music on display left me temporarily paralysed in awe of this amazingly well organized event.
I am looking forward to attending more events at Carfax, which I will dutifully be scribbling down on my calendar. If I can make but a single suggestion to everyone who are interested in seeing more of the same at Carfax, it would be to please leave some tickets available for me…
Watch this space for regular updates in the Music category on Running Wolf’s Rant.
Potch-based fest-junky, music enthusiast and general malkoppie anarchist
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