Runaway Country use of Wickham Park up for vote

• The Runaway Country music festival will be held March 20-22 at Wickham Park in Melbourne
• It will feature 16 country acts, including Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line and Lee Brice
• Attendance was 35,000 in 2014, with an estimated economic impact of $5.8 million
• The $38,750 Brevard County will get will be used for park operation, maintenance and improvements

As the annual Runaway Country music festival continues to grow, Brevard County decided it should have a more formal agreement for use of Wickham Park in Melbourne for the three-day event.

County commissioners on Tuesday will vote on a festival license agreement with Runaway Country Executive Producer Gary McCann, setting out the ground rules for the event, now in its fifth year.

The festival is scheduled for March 20-22. It will feature 16 country acts, including such headliners as Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line and Lee Brice.

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McCann said Runaway Country is the first major country music festival of the year. As such, many of the performers are likely to debut new songs that they will perform on their 2015 tours and albums. It also is one of the largest gatherings of country music artists in the Southeast at one event.

“We’re kind of the Daytona 500 of the festival business,” McCann said, referring to the first race of the NASCAR season.

Greg Minor, the South Area parks manager of the Brevard County Parks and Recreation Department, said the festival license agreement that commissioners will be asked to approve Tuesday replaces a more routine facility use permit the county has signed with McCann in the past.

Florida Georgia Line, Lee Brice join Runaway Country lineup

Under terms of the new nine-page agreement, McCann will:

•Pay the county $38,750 for use of the park for the festival, and for control of 89 of the park’s 134 campsites during the festival.

•Provide adequate security, police and emergency medical services for the event, and clean up the park after the event is over.

•Have at least a $1 million liability insurance policy for the event.

•Stop live music on the main stage after 10:30 p.m., and not have amplified music on the site between 12:30 a.m. and 7 a.m.

•Not play copyrighted music without appropriate licensing or other permission.

•“Maintain good public relations, and to conduct the festival in a manner which is courteous and fair to the public, and to be reasonably responsive to customers’ requests and complaints.”

Minor said the $38,750 fee is far higher than typical fees festival organizers are charged for use of Wickham Park, which generally top out at $1,500. He said the money will be used for operation, maintenance and improvements at Wickham Park.

McCann said he has no problem with the provisions.

Minor said the festival license agreement formalizes the informal agreements between McCann and the county for previous Runaway Country festivals.

Payments to the county for use of Wickham Park in previous years were $28,000 in 2011, $32,500 in 2012, $35,000 in 2013 and $37,500 in 2014.

Country music superstar Blake Shelton will headline festival

Brevard Parks and Recreation Director Jack Masson said the festival “was conceived and developed as a Brevard County tourism attraction.” It draws fans from 39 states and 10 countries. Attendance has increased from 12,000 in 2011 to 35,000 in 2014, with the estimated economic impact increasing from $1.9 million to $5.8 million during that time.

McCann expects the 2014 numbers to be matched or exceeded this year.

McCann said, in addition to providing revenue for local hotels, restaurants, retailers and other businesses, the success of Runaway County is generating interest from organizers of other festivals to using Wickham Park as a venue.

He said Runaway Country performers and their managers also have been impressed by Wickham Park staff’s efforts in helping accommodate the festival and the artists.

2014 festival was big success with organizers, fans

Minor said past festivals have generated “very, very minimal” complaints, largely related to noise levels and unruly patrons who may have had too much to drink.

“They keep a pretty tight rein” on the event, Minor said. “It’s a very good event. It’s great for Wickham Park. It’s great for Parks and Recreation. And it’s great for Brevard County.”

McCann said he will do everything possible to keep residents of neighborhoods surrounding Wickham Park happy.

“We do not want to be bad neighbors,” McCann said. “We love to be good neighbors.”

Contact Berman at 321-242-3649 and dberman@floridatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @ByDaveBerman and on Facebook at facebook.com/dave.berman.54.

MORE ON THE FESTIVAL

Tickets: Single-day tickets are $89, three-day tickets are $129, and it’s up to $299 for certain three-day reserved seats. (The $309 three-day stage-front tickets are sold out.)

Campsites: Start at $99 for the weekend 245 for a recreational-vehicle site. (The full-service hook-ups at $450 are sold out.

Add-ons: Include extra parking passes, meal plans and a personal portable toilet.

For more information: Call 321-613-4907 or go to runawaycountry.com. Send a Tweet to @runawaycountry

— Jennifer Sangalang, FLORIDA TODAY

COUNTY COMMISSION VOTE

The Brevard County Commission is scheduled to vote on the proposed festival license agreement with Runaway Country during its meeting that begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the the Brevard County Government Center, Building C, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera.