The Tisbury select board has approved a three-year agreement to host the annual Beach Road Weekend music festival in Veterans Memorial Park
The Tisbury select board has approved a three-year agreement to host the annual Beach Road Weekend music festival in Veterans Memorial Park.
The three-day, multi-performer series made its debut in 2019 and returned in a scaled-down format last July, before announcing a full line-up of more than two dozen acts for August 26 through August 28, 2022.
“We’ve been successful in establishing Beach Road as an exceptional Vineyard event, on par with the Ag Fair, the Oak Bluffs fireworks, the Martha’s Vineyard Food and Wine Festival — all the iconic events on the Island,” event producer Adam Epstein told the select board during a public meeting on Zoom Jan. 26.
This year’s festival is expected to sell out within the next few weeks, Mr. Epstein said.
The town charges the concert $12,500 a day to use Veterans Memorial Park, as well as the costs of three single-day alcohol licenses and all police, fire, water, highway and emergency services required during the festival.
Mr. Epstein said the festival also has hired a landscaper with Memorial Park experience, whose job will be to assess the condition of the park fields before the event, remain on site for the duration of the weekend, develop a remediation action plan and start restoration work first thing the following Monday.
Along with municipal expenses and landscaping care, he said the concert also provides revenue to Island community organizations.
“We’ve established the festival as a 501 c(3) nonprofit whose ultimate goal is to support the performing arts, live music and recreational programming on the Island — in particular Tisbury, if we can direct it that way,” Mr. Epstein told the board.
In addition to supporting music programs at the regional high school, Mr. Epstein said he plans to provide uniforms for the men’s softball league and invest in equipment for youth soccer programs.
“We’re hitting a point where we can afford to do these things, so we want to do them,” he said.
Mr. Epstein cited more than $1.5 million worth of festival bookings at local hotels that have partnered with the concert for 2022.
Select board chairman Jeff Kristal and board member Larry Gomez, who both own inns in Tisbury, did not take part in the promotion, they said.
The agreement with the town stipulates a five per cent profit share to the town once the festival achieves profitability, Mr. Epstein said.
Top-billed acts in the 2022 festival include Beck, Wilco and Emmylou Harris.
“I guess giving you these [2023 and 2024] dates this far in advance gives you much more ability to really lock in some killer names,” Mr. Kristal said.
“Yes, absolutely,” Mr. Epstein said. “We’ve got an incredible headliner for next year, if you authorize this.”
The board voted unanimously in favor of the three-year agreement, which schedules Beach Road Weekend 2023 for August 24-26 and the 2024 festival for August 22-25.

Comments
ROCK ON LOVERS CAUSE THAT'S
GODSPAL MVROCK ON LOVERS CAUSE THAT'S BASICALLY IT! GOD BLESS US ALL...
"The agreement with the town
Carlos Degotta Tisbury"The agreement with the town stipulates a five per cent profit share to the town once the festival achieves profitability, Mr. Epstein said.", I must say if this report is accurate it forces me to rethink my option about the town renting out the park. I must question does this reported agreement also include sales of alcohol, food and sundries?
I fully realize the town and state receive their respective sales and service taxes, I just think that the real money in this event is in sales on site and secondary promotion, is Tisbury getting a piece of that cheese?
So do we leave the excessive
Frank Brunelle Beach Road TisburySo do we leave the excessive noise for the next 3 years or not. I do agree with Mr. Epstein's analysis. If the town wants a cut of the concessions income it is not worth it. Tisbury is just amazing.
I just don’t like the 3 tier
Mark Castle VhI just don’t like the 3 tier seating that separates friends from enjoying a show together based on ticket prices. This is on public taxpayer grounds, so make it a one tier community event equal to all.
We heard many concerns about
Adam Epstein Vineyard Haven, MAWe heard many concerns about the reserved seating situation in 2019, and removed it from this festival plan. For 2022, even a general admission ticketholder can get within 30 feet of the stage.
We always listen to audience feedback and will continue to use it as we strive to make a more enjoyable event.
If what you say is correct
Mark Castle VhIf what you say is correct I am now a supporter. Thank you for that. Do us Islanders get any preference in getting a ticket?
Do not recall seeing a public
George Stein Oak BluffsDo not recall seeing a public hearing on extending the contract . Addressing the above expressed concerns amongst others is a legitimate concern . Personally I would like an enormous holding tank to be excavated at the site to handle the 5 Corners flooding . The dirt could be used to build up low areas susceptible to flooding around the Island. Federal money from wetlands preservation funding for the water filtration plant expansion.
Enormous holding tank? To
Schools Out TisburyEnormous holding tank? To hold the Atlantic Ocean? Keep up the pipedreams, dreams the feds will never fund.
Veteran park is a great place
Tom Engley West TisburyVeteran park is a great place but it’s almost negative sea level so a tank won’t work. It’s ironic that the concert is call “Beach Road “. All the work being done on beach road will be under water in 20 years
Five corners is a mess no lighting no drainage no beauty. Tisbury master plan is long over due, now it’s rearranging the deck chairs as the ship sinks. When we get a direct hit from a hurricane we will have an eye opening moment.
toms probably right.I grew up
sandy Edgartowntoms probably right.I grew up on causeway rd.the whole park from causeway to chicken alley was swamp filled in with filled in with yellow sand back around the late 1950's.so it was at sea level
My concern about Beach Road
LaurieMy concern about Beach Road is that the size is NOT commenserate with the island. Next summers concert will feature 30 bands! including all their entourage and equiptment. This concert is growing every year along with traffic, conjestion, pollution, emissions and wear and tear on this fragile island. I wish some of this was taken into consideration (along with new school uniforms) when deciding if this large event is appropriate and if it makes sense to be held at the end of August when the entire Island is burned out and exhausted.
I think this is a mistake,
Lorraine EdgartownI think this is a mistake, the entire thing is a mistake for this fragile island. We have overtaxed every system on the island and we are being enablers to those who wish to use the island as an ATM machine. These huge extravaganzas are not helping the environment and are damaging in many cases. A comment was made regarding tiered ticket prices; if this is so, that should not be. It smacks of the communities where large sports stadia are built, subsidized by tax payers, and then the average taxpayer cannot afford tickets for the games. I realize this opinion is controversial but it is mine and I love this island.
A three-year contract. So
Vasha Vineyard HavenA three-year contract. So that's at least two weeks each year that townspeople(ball players of different types, walkers, joggers, bench sitters, exercise groups, dog walkers, lunch breakers, and so forth) will not be allowed to use their tax funded public Park. With the concert growing the length of time the Park is closed will likely get even longer.
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