Jaxtoberfest relocating from downtown to SJTC

[CCMjax]

This really blows.  Take a great cultural festival and relocate it from downtown to an upscale shopping mall in the suburbs, one of the least cultural things I can think of.  They say it is because of the shipyards cleanup going on but this seems like a perfect event to move to Hemming Park if some of the surrounding streets were blocked off, what gives?  It says 50,000 went last year so it was a pretty good turn out.  I for one will not be attending if they have it at SJTC. 

http://jaxtoberfest.com/

[coredumped]

Upscale shopping mall? The dollar store and target?
Seriously, a terrible location, things like this belong downtown, not in a crappy plaza.

[fsujax]

Where exactly is going to be held? In a parking lot?

[benfranklinbof]

Aweee, what a bummer. I won't be going this year either

[CCMjax]

There is definitely some SJTC marketing powers at work here in my opinion.  Somebody got a huge gift to make this move and my guess is the TC marketing gurus will try everything in their power to make it a permanent move.  Probably an effort to make the TC more cultural and more "happening" but it ain't gonna work.  You can try to fool people into thinking it is something other than a mall but really it is just a shopping mall that is slightly more attractive than the Avenues.  It is sad for Jacksonville or any city if that is what becomes a cultural center of a city.  I hope I'm overreacting and next year it will return to downtown or a neighborhood more suited for a cultural festival like this, but my guess is they wanted to move it to the TC for financial reasons and nothing more.  Again, I ask, why not Hemming Park or perhaps Riverside Park, Memorial Park, or Metropolitan Park (which is right next to the shipyards where it was last year)?  I'm left thinking what they claim is complete BS and it has nothing to do with the work they are doing at the site, are they even still doing any work there?  And if I hear one comment about there not being adequate parking I'm going to blow a gasket!

[brainstormer]

A very lame move. I'm sure there was some sort of a financial incentive as there are so many other more unique, cultural areas in our city that would create a better festival. 

[Tacachale]

Enjoy the vibrant cultural atmosphere that is the parking lot of a privately owned suburban mall!

Been nice knowing you, Jaxtoberfest.

[Tacachale]

I mean, I *thought* a downtown riverfront was a pretty good location, but that's before they moved to the "center of town": a mall parking lot!

[jaxnyc79]

The sad truth is that they'll likely boast a higher attendee count because SJTC shoppers will probably stumble into the event and have a beer - and with UNF next door, perhaps they'll have a steady flow of college drinkers. 

For what it's worth, I went to the actual Oktoberfest in Munich in 2012, and it's on large Fairgrounds and doesn't feel very urban...you're just under tents or at picnic tables on a vast open field.  Of course, you're still in the heart of Munich and once you leave the festival grounds, you're back in the thick of the city's density.  You're definitely not in a mall or mall parking lot though.

Munich isn't a vertical city, but it's incredibly dense and compact, and everything is transit-oriented and pedestrian-scale.  Love that place. 

[Dapperdan]

Lets just all go to Art Walk instead. They are doing a Oktoberfest type event next month.

[vicupstate]

Why couldn't it be along Laura St. with Hemming and the Landing being the principal nodes, with the vacant lots along Laura taking some of the overflow. Why couldn't it be just like the Jazz Festival use to be. 

That is how it would be done anywhere else in the world, at least.   

[johnnyliar]

I've gotten free tickets to Jaxtoberfest the last two years and it was still a ripoff. Almost all of the beer can be bought or had on draft at Beer:30 , Kickbacks, Alewife, etc. There's very few things to do there, and it's usually a scorcher in the middle of a contaminated shipyard field while a shitty cover band plays pop-country tunes. Good riddance.

[CCMjax]

There is definitely some SJTC marketing powers at work here in my opinion.  Somebody got a huge gift to make this move and my guess is the TC marketing gurus will try everything in their power to make it a permanent move.  Probably an effort to make the TC more cultural and more "happening" but it ain't gonna work.  You can try to fool people into thinking it is something other than a mall but really it is just a shopping mall that is slightly more attractive than the Avenues.  It is sad for Jacksonville or any city if that is what becomes a cultural center of a city.  I hope I'm overreacting and next year it will return to downtown or a neighborhood more suited for a cultural festival like this, but my guess is they wanted to move it to the TC for financial reasons and nothing more.  Again, I ask, why not Hemming Park or perhaps Riverside Park, Memorial Park, or Metropolitan Park (which is right next to the shipyards where it was last year)?  I'm left thinking what they claim is complete BS and it has nothing to do with the work they are doing at the site, are they even still doing any work there?  And if I hear one comment about there not being adequate parking I'm going to blow a gasket!

It isn't parking, it's size.  I have talked to someone intimately involved in the planning.  You couldnt hold it at Memorial, Riverside or Hemming Park as those sites are not nearly big enough.  And, while I agree that I wish it were downtown, we are outliers here on these boards.  Most people in Jax I think would prefer SJTC.

Are you serious?  Not big enough?  That's what they told you?  Not very creative individuals involved in this shindig eh?  I used to live in the old German neighborhood in Chicago and went to Mayfest, Germanfest, Oktoberfest, Rib Fest and just about every other big festival in the neighborhood and they just blocked off the main street running through the hood, no park or nothing, just street.  There was virtually no parking (no need since nobody drives there) and the streets were packed but not too packed, plenty to do and watch and everybody having a great time.  Although I do like the idea of having the main stages or whatever in a park, it is still possible even without a park or large open area.  So, not big enough in terms of what?  Let me guess, big surface parking lot?

In regards to your second comment, I realize most people in Jax would like the idea of having it at the TC because they think it's the most glorious place on earth, and that is exactly what is wrong with Jacksonville in my opinion.  Most residents here don't really realize, or don't care what they are missing out on and what has been lost when the mall is the most culturally significant thing in the city.  I've lived in other cities where the mindset of people changed and these cultural things became more important and popular, and people started to get it and flock back to downtown and real cultural centers.  It can happen here too (sorry for being yet another optimist in the 3 to 4 decade long push to get Jax on track by saying things like "we have potential!", lol).   

[Dapperdan]

So Oktoberfest is bigger than say One Spark or Jazz Fest which successfully bring hundreds of thousands of guests into downtown?

[thelakelander]

To be honest, I don't think "most" people in Jax care where Jaxtoberfest is located. The mindset in Jax isn't significantly different from the general mindset across the majority of the country. This place is just a much smaller community than most of us believe. This is Dayton, OH with a lot more suburbs and a beach. This isn't meant to be a knock on Jax. It's just the reality of a smaller 200k city, consolidating with its core county.