A Philadelphia man organizing an annual music festival in Belgrade has appealed to town officials over a permit requirement contained in a new ordinance adopted as a result of those festivals.

Matt Manser, whose family owns land off Sahagian Road on Bluebird Drive where the festival is held, wrote to the Belgrade Board of Selectmen on behalf of the Caravan Music Festival “to clear up some misconceptions and inform the committee of our intentions.”

The festival this year will be an invitation-only event, Manser said, that won’t meet the 300-person threshold that would require a permit.

The letter is on the agenda for the selectmen’s meeting that begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Town Office.

Manser said in an email Sunday night: “This permit’s new, so the situation this year is still getting worked out. In years past we often inquired about event permits, but it was never necessary.”

Information on the festival’s Facebook page indicates the multi-day festival will begin this year at 9 p.m. July 30.

In the letter to town officials, Manser said the festival is not a business and should not require a permit under the ordinance.

The mass gathering ordinance, adopted 165-116 by town voters on March 20, requires advance notice and a permit for crowds of 300 or more with exceptions for municipal and school events. It was proposed after some neighbors apparently complained about the noise from the various Caravan festivals.

 

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