Over Labor Day weekend, I went to BLUE by Grey Area. I've gone to a few Grey Area dance parties, but this was the biggest event I've seen them host. I also went to Four Tet & Friends back in May, so I was super stoked to see how the park was going to be used! Below are some things that I noticed. If anyone else was there, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

• Event was slated to start at 3pm. Gates did not open until 3:30pm (I got there early). Vendors were not ready when security started letting people through. Barriers were still being put up and moved. Bar staff were still setting up their stations. Lighting technicians were troubleshooting a moving light (that unfortunately did not shine the entire time I was there). It just felt strange to not be "show ready" when people arrived at the designated start time.
  
• Everyone got a Billfold wristband. Never used it before, but I like to concept (feels very similar to Magic Bands that the Disney parks use). Once you get your wristband, you go over to a kiosk and set up your credit card to link to the band. This way, when you are at the bar, you can either pay with you card or swipe your band. This worked well and very easy to use! However, the food trucks did not have the wristband reader, so you had to pay with your card. I would have liked to use the band for all transactions or just have everyone use their credit card. I would like to see these wristbands used more at live events and hopefully with more troubleshooting on the account setup, this will be a great addition.
  
• The stage was at the smaller amphitheater by the water. Love the visuals, but similar to my thoughts when I was at Four Tet & Friends—the geography limits the capacity. I’m surprised that the bigger park space wasn’t used and question why that was the case.
  
• More fans would have helped with cooling down the dance floor. The sun start affecting the amphitheater starting from 4:30pm-sunset. Everyone was following shade as much as they could.
  
• VIP, while it gave you space to dance and had some high top tables for your drinks (sponsored by Red Bull), didn’t feel “exclusive” enough. At past Grey Area parties, VIP had their own drink buckets with ice. They had shade. They had lounges to sit on (there were park stone slabs people could sit on that GA couldn’t access. But no cushions). For an extra $30, I think people would want more.
• There was a general “chill area.” Grey Area spread a few large blankets on top of the stone garden (I think that’s what it is), pillows for those blankets, some chairs, a couple of wooden benches, and a message person for an additional cost. What was nice about this area was a speaker with a direct feed from the DJ console. This probably had some of the better acoustics in the area. It also made for a nice place to sit down, rest, and be away from crowds. There was just one problem—this area was not ADA friendly in the slightest. The park built in wooden barrier to prevent rocks from escaping the area. While there were thin rubber mats that made a path to the Access Only area behind the message area, since it was over rocks, the terrain was uneven.
• ADA was a fucking joke. I’m not sorry for putting that bluntly. In order to get there, you have to fight the crowd. Then you had to wait for security to tell people to move out of your view because they were standing on the stone slabs that surround the amphitheater. And those people don’t want to move because they finally have a good view of the stage. You were essentially trapped between the stone slabs and the barrier gate designating the ADA area. If you left, it was really hard to come back. The map placed ADA closer to one of the bars, but that did not last or was properly set up. One of the VIP areas should be converted to ADA and access needs to be made easier with crowd control measures.
  
• This place could get very very very dark. If Grey Area thought that the lights that illuminate the bridge columns at night is enough, they are wrong. I know I’m comparing 2 different companies, but Bowery Presents seemed to think of everything. They put AX5 around to illuminate trees/other plants to give more atmosphere. They had OnAir panels for walkways. The bars and food trucks had clip lights/ signage lights. Hell, they even had large lights that illuminate the entry and exit area. They thought of people, space, and visibility. Grey Area only thinks about what’s on stage. I snapped a photo of my way out of the med tent—complete darkness. They need to invest in more lighting and better design of their space overall.
  
• Lastly, Grey Area partnered with this company called Cup Zero. This company specializes in providing multi use plastic cups at events. Great idea! There's a lot of waste that these kind of events generate. One major downside I felt was the price. If I wanted a cup with ice, I had to pay $2 on top of the drink price. I could not keep the cup because part of the business model is collecting cups in designated bins (that looked like trash and recycling bins). When I declined the cup, I still got my canned mocktail (not cold).