Punk rockers have descended upon Gainesville as they do this time every year, but Fest 12 comes with a few changes.
Fest venues collectively raised the price of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer from $2 to $3. The same was true for venues during pre-Fest in Ybor City.
Tony Weinbender, Fest’s organizer, said the hike wasn’t an issue at pre-Fest.
“Nobody cares,” he said.
It seems that sentiment carried over to Gainesville, too.
Lily Nelson, a 19-year-old UF psychology sophomore, said she thinks the price change won’t shake things up too much.
“A lot of people drink PBR here,” she said. “But they will probably just pay for it anyway.”
Robbie Bersano, 25-year-old front house staff for the Blue Man Group, said the change in price doesn’t affect him.
“Blasphemy,” he said. “I’m from Chicago, so a $3 PBR in a 16-oz can is a steal. It’s nice. It’s part of the vacation. It’s not necessarily about getting wasted. It’s about hanging out with your friends.”
Anna Snyder, 24-year-old moderator for the Huffington Post, said that cheap beer is not the priority — the music is.
Places like Flashbacks and Maude’s are advertising Fest specials of $2 PBR.
Steve Nichtberger, 54-year-old owner of Flashbacks liquor store and lounge, said that because the lounge is not a venue, he doubts people will come specifically for the cheap beer. However, he said the bar was packed Thursday night and PBR was selling well at the discounted price.
“They’re selling fast, but I can’t say they’re selling faster,” he said.
This year has also seen a record high in volunteer numbers. Fest 12 needed 527 volunteers — up from 400 last year, Weinbender said.
“Fest is longer this year,” he said. “It takes more people to run it.”
Weinbender said Fest passes can be bought at merchandise stands. This is the first year attendees can pay at stands with credit cards, he said.
As far as the effect of Ybor City’s pre-Fest on the upcoming weekend in Gainesville, he said it simply served to pump up the crowd.
A version of this story ran on page 1 on 11/1/2013 under the headline "Fest 12 PBR price increases to $3"
