SITE INFORMATION
Q. What are we allowed / not allowed to bring into the campgrounds?
A. The most important thing to bring with you is common sense. Don’t bring items that are going to cause problems, or that you plan to leave behind. For a more complete description, please check the campsite regulations. You should get a copy of this sent to you when you receive your event tickets.
Q. Why can't I pick where I want to camp in General Camping?
A. With the City of Camrose’s development of a multimillion dollar casino in the northeast section of the campground, several hundred campsites have been lost. Given the loss of this prime real estate, the remaining land must be used to its full potential so that the maximum number of campers can be placed in the remaining area. The best way to do this is to assign camping and eliminate waste. Stalls are assigned, and roping off additional stalls is prohibited. Also, tampering of flags marking out assigned camping stalls will result in eviction.
Q. Is glass allowed in our campsites?
A. No, As of 2004, no glass containers are allowed in the campgrounds. For example alcohol brought onto the site must be in cans or plastic. Failure to comply with this, will result in confiscation. The Reason for this? There is simply too much broken glass being left in the campground, presenting a serious danger.
Q. Where / Why were the original processing lanes moved?
A. In 2003 new processing lanes were put in place at the request of the City of Camrose to better handle the influx of traffic coming in for the festivals. A larger staging area was needed to get the vehicles off of the main city arteries and not disrupt regular traffic and on-going business within the city.
Q. Why was General Camping moved across the highway in 2003?
A. The properties used for camping around the exhibition site were city lots that were for sale and have now been sold. As of late there has been an increased demand for commercial property in Camrose, which ultimately affected our camping area. The general camping to the south of the concert bowl became available for lease allowing us to guarantee some long term camping for our events.
Q. How much land does it take to accommodate the festivals?
A. The festival utilizes 423 acres. Approximately 30 acres is used for the event with the balance used for processing lanes, day parking, and camping.
Q. How much was spent on site improvements in 2003?
A. In 2003, ten kilometres of roadways were built in the new south camping, 103 permanent light poles and fixtures were added within the campgrounds, 20 processing lanes complete with booths have been added to the ingress, plus the paving of the main street concession area. In total over 1.5 million dollars were spent on improvements.
Q. How many campsites are available?
A. The total numbers of campsite available are as follows:
General Camping 4000 Stalls Handi-cap Camping 150 Stalls Family Camping 1500 Stalls Reserved Camping 1200 Stalls Service / Admin Camping 400 Stalls V.I.P. Camping 266 Stalls
Q. How many porta-potties are at the event?
A. Two companies are contracted to take care of the portable toilet requirements. In total there are 525 toilets on the event site.
Q. Is there water and electricity available in the campgrounds?
A. No, not at this time. Although there is no running water, there are 14 large tanks of non-potable water available throughout the campground. Contractors are also available during the event to provide water for your RV or whatever you may require.
Q. Is there a curfew?
A. Yes, family/quiet and reserved camping has a noise curfew of 12:00 Midnight, and Chevy General Camping has a noise curfew of 2:00 a.m. These curfews are strictly enforced.
Q. Can you be evicted from your campsite?
A. Most definitely. Excess noise, inappropriate wristband, messy campsite, vandalism, and consuming alcohol where you are not suppose to (to mention a few) are all grounds for eviction. Make sure that you pay attention to the rules. Evictions will result in the removal of your wristband and a police escort off of the site.
Camping areas must also be kept clean and maintained. Each camp site not cleaned up properly at the end of the event will result in a $250 clean up fee charged to the site holders credit card.
Q. What do we do with the garbage from our campsites?
A. There are dumpsters located throughout the campsite for garbage. Be sure to clean up your campsite before you leave the site after the event. A messy campsite during the event can lead to an eviction. Upon arrival all campers will receive a garbage bag. When full, place it by the roadway, a clean up crew will remove it and replace your bag with a new one. This service is offered daily.
Q. What services are provided on the site?
A. We have tried to replicate all the services on site that you would find in a small city. Thus medical, police, ATMs, showers, vendors, pay phones, and concessions are all available for your convenience and safety.
Q. What is going to happen now that the CISN / Country 105 campground is gone?
A. Due to the road construction at the junction of Exhibition Drive and HWY 13 the Country 105 and CISN FM campgrounds will be moved to the south side of HWY 13a (Exhibition Drive). Overall the distance to the concert bowl will remain about the same.
Q. Can we drink the water out of the big tanks in the campground?
A. The water in the 14 tanks around the campground is non-potable water. This means that it is not for drinking.
Q. Are pets allowed?
A. Yes, but pets are to remain on a leash and in your immediate campsite area. Absolutely no pets are allowed on Main Street of the Big Valley Jamboree Site, the Beer Gardens or concert area. Panhandle Productions Ltd. will not be held responsible for any injuries or damages your pet may cause to others or their property.
CONCERT BOWL INFORMATION
Q. Why have the seating arrangements changed for the Big Valley Jamboree?
A. The festival has grown in popularity and more people want to convert to reserved seats. To accommodate these requests, a new seating plan had to be implemented. In addition, to satisfy the fire marshal and provide better access to all seats, extra aisle ways were added to the seating plan.
Q. What is the stage size?
A. The stage opening where the artists perform is 80 X 60. Overall, with the side wings and scrims, the dimensions are 240 x 60. The festival stage used for the festivals in Camrose, Alberta is considered one of the best in North America.
Q. How many chairs are there in reserved seating?
A. Total number of reserved seats : 5600 Total number of VIP and corporate seats : 1500
Q. Are we allowed to take pictures in the concert bowl?
A. Yes, still pictures are allowed to be taken in the concert bowl. There is a special line that is formed along the stage during Big Valley Jamboree that allows you to take pictures up close.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Q. How many people work year round on the festival?
A. There are eight people who work year round on the festival as well as other events
produced by Panhandle Productions Ltd.
Q. How many people does it take overall to produce the festivals?
A. One must take into consideration that all the amenities of the City of Camrose have to be duplicated on site. That means that there has to be communications, ambulance, fire, water, sewer, transportation, police services, food, garbage pickup etc. To accomplish that the number of people employed during the event are in the neighbourhood of 4000.
Q. Do you support non-profit organizations?
A. Yes, over the last 13 years an excess of 4 million dollars has been paid to non-profit groups that help with the festival.
Q. Why did liquor / beer prices increase?
A. Several factors initiated the increase in our beer prices. One being the cost of insurance; The cost to insure the festivals have tripled from 2002 to 2003, and continues to increase. As well the cost of security has also increased. During festival time there are over 400 people employed onsite to deal with security issues alone. Other facts such as damage caused by vandalism increase not only alcohol prices, but event ticket prices as well.
Q. What is the gopher run, and what time does it take place?
A. The gopher run is the term used for the rush of people wishing to place their lawn chairs in the concert bowl late Friday and Saturday night to try and get them a good spot for the next days show. The concert bowl opens daily at 9:00 am, but on Friday and Saturday night after the Main Stage closes the Gopher Run takes place. Once workers have cleaned the concert bowl, and security gives clearance, there will be a will be a small window of time that we will allow individuals to set up two lawn chairs for the next day. The only way youll find out when this will happen is to hang around the concert bowl entrance during the night. This may not guarantee your spot, nor are we responsible for your property. The concert bowl closes at 1:00 am sharp daily, thus so does the gopher run.
Q. Where do I find the information if there is a change in the artist line up?
A. Before the event the most up to date information can be found on the Big Valley Jamboree website. (This site) During event time please check with the information booth located in the concession area on the Main Street of the event site.
Q. What else goes on during these events?
A. Besides some of the best main stage entertainment in Canada there is much more that goes on at our festivals. There are trade shows, a family stage, a variety of concessions, bull riding, motocross, street performers, songwriters workshops, Sunday gospel, an onsite pub, beer gardens stage and much more. (Double check the event program for a complete listing) Event programs are available at the information booth located in the concession area on the Main Street of the event site
Q. What do you guys do for the rest of the year, if these events only run for a couple of days?
A. During the rest of the year there are many contracts and agreements to go over for the next year. These range from the contracts for garbage pick up to artist selection. It is a big misconception that the only work that takes place is during the events. With a large festivals such as Big Valley Jamboree and other events throughout the year, the planning takes a full year to complete.
Q. Where is Camrose?
A. Camrose Alberta , is located 50 minutes south-east of the City of Edmonton, and just east of the junction of Hwy 21 and Hwy 13.
Q. If I want to volunteer for the event, do I get to see the shows and camp for free? How many volunteers are involved with the event?
A. There is a common misconception with the events and that is that the festival uses mostly volunteers. The festival contracts non-profit organizations for a fee to run a particular component of the festival. (i.e. garbage pick up, recycling, etc). In turn the non-profit organizations secure their own volunteers to aid in the project. For example the Camrose Regional Exhibition operates all gaming venues on site. They used the combined effort of nearly 700 of their volunteers to assist with 50/50, nevada tickets, and the casino.
ARTIST INFORMATION
Q. How expensive are the headliner acts?
A. Over the past few years the cost of a headlining act has increased dramatically. Headliners averaged between $100,000 US and $150,000 US in the mid 90's. A festival can now pay as high as $350,000 US to $500,000 US for the same act to play for 75 minutes.
Q. Who controls how long the artists play?
A. Most artists play a 60 minute set, a headline act will play a 75 minute set and on the odd occasion a 90 minute set. These lengths will usually include the encore. This is usually negotiated well in advance of the show.
Q. How many people travel with the band?
A. The band entourage will vary depending on the status of the artist. The majority will travel with 10 12 people in total. The headlining acts can travel with as many as 30 people.
Q. How do the artists travel?
A. Travel arrangements depend on the route of the artist. If an artist is playing several dates they will travel by bus. A support act would use one bus and tow along a trailer. A Headlining act could use as many as 3 4 buses along with 3 4 semi units. It depends on how much of a stage set is travelling with the artist.
Q. What do they mean when they talk about a one off date?
A. A one off is a purchase term. When an artist is purchased the price will vary if they are on a tour or coming in specifically for a particular one off show. In the case of a one off show, the artists usually fly in for the show and have much of their instruments provided for them.
Q. Why does it take so long to confirm which bands are going to be playing the festival?
A. It is not for a lack of trying. We do our absolute best to try and let you know who will be performing as soon as possible. For example we were able to announce that Gretchen Wilson would be at BVJ 2006 on the final evening of the 2005 Big Valley Jamboree. Unfortunately due to the fact that negotiations are becoming more complex between artists, promoters, and artist management, sometimes more time is needed.