Vancouver Beer and Music Festival blames understaffing and faulty wristband technology for queues – BC

A Vancouver festival blames staff shortages and new technology for lines that stretched for hours on Saturday afternoon.

Thousands of people were forced to wait, trying to enter the Vancouver Craft Beer and Music Festival at the PNE.

A Vancouver resident, who tried to enter the festival with a friend, said the whole experience « was a joke ». They ended up leaving the lineup to go to the breweries of East Vancouver instead.

« It all made it seem like the organizers didn’t care about the event, they only cared about selling tickets and making money, » said Vancouver resident Kevin MacDonald. « It was pretty much a joke and we just lost $60 each. »

Festival organizers issued a statement on Sunday blaming staff shortages and a technical issue with wristbands for the long lines, rebutting claims the event was oversold.

“As seasoned event producers, we had prepared in case issues arose, but faced unprecedented and unfortunate staff shortages, which significantly affected queues,” wrote the VCBW staff, in a social media post.

« We also encountered difficulties with the new wristband system. »

MacDonald believes the event was oversold, contrary to what the organizers said.

“I would say there were about 2,000 people trying to get in,” MacDonald said.

“They could have had 100 employees at the entrance. People didn’t come in. There was a door, an entrance. Just imagine trying to get into a Canucks game with just one entry.

In the festival statement, it does not say whether it will compensate those who did not attend the event.

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