American Folk Festival Favorites: Swag!

What is the coolest thing you have ever purchased from a festival booth? It doesn’t have to be a musical festival, just any entertaining gathering?

What items do you still use and what was the most useful item you have ever bought?

Do you buy for yourself or for loved ones? If loved ones too, what do you think they want from a festival?

Here’s the thing; festival organizers rack their brains year after year to bring in the items that will move off the tables, they pontificate for hours to come up with those pieces of “swag” that festival goers just simply cannot do without… Is it that funky festival seat or tie dyed tee? Is it the cool travel mug or high profile hat? Who knows, but much time and consideration goes into cracking this code!

At the end of the day, you want what you want and you need what you need.

Many of our Folk Festival-goers want the dated tees – there’s no doubt about that – we should do a survey on the number of people who have every year!

Other items become on demand; they didn’t bring a hat to keep the sun off their head or a sweatshirt as the sun goes down. This Festival occurs in late August… It’s warm, so how about items like sunglasses, sunscreen, flip flops, or Frisbees? What about those little fans that spin water in your face!

It may sound like a simple idea, but a reusable water bottle is one of the most valued swag items to give out at an outdoor festival. With the emphasis on going green, reusable water bottles are a great way to help the environment while also providing a lot of convenience to Festival attendees. Instead of buying a bottle of water, having to hold onto the bottle, or putting the bottle of water on the ground risking having it spill when you are dancing up a storm at the Dance tent, you can just fill up your AFF water bottle and carry it with you!

A friend of mine told me yesterday, while traveling in Ireland a few years back, crossing the street in front of her, there he was, a guy wearing an American Folk festival baseball cap! You know she stopped him and they struck up a conversation. So you never know, where ever you go, grab a piece of your AFF swag – you are bound to make a new friend!

What would YOU like to see for swag at the next American Folk Festival? Let us know and you just might find your idea available in late August on the Bangor Waterfront!