Through a year of change, Halfway to Everywhere founder Hank Osterhout says he’s pleased with the results of this past weekend’s festival — as well as signs the festival could grow.
Osterhout joined KVOE’s Talk of Emporia on Monday. He says attendance was down from past years, but the 1100-plus that attended — and paid, for the most part, for the first time — was above his forecast of 500 attendees.
The general admission cost was one of the major changes Halfway had this year. The other was adjusting the layout so there were three outdoor stages and the Granada Theatre. Osterhout says he was pleased with the new layout, but a Talk of Emporia caller mentioned concerns about food trucks at the main stage being unavailable to the general public. Osterhout says that option will be reviewed for next year’s festival.
Osterhout says the festival continues to draw significant numbers of people from well outside the KVOE listening area. Most of the out-of-area visitors come from the Kansas City metro area, Lawrence or Wichita, but there have also been visitors from across the country.
In addition, Osterhout says conversations are already underway for music acts that could be involved in the 2025 event. Announcements on music acts could come over the next few weeks.
