The organisers of the party in the park yesterday need to put the same sorts of attention into the kids activities as they do the adult concert.
The arrangements for the ABC Kids concert were pitiful. One small marquee with easily 1000 trying to squeeze into it and here the sound from 2 crummy speakers. Too close to the main stage meaning noise from that, and right next to the dodgem cars truck with its genny running full bore the whole time.
The marquee was jammed into a corner of the amusements section – obviously to try to maximise income for the ride operators, but that just made it more cramped, and the seating area was downslope from the stage, adding to the viewing difficulties! There is a perfectly good ampitheatre area just a little closer to Parkes Way that was empty.
Lots of people gave up after 10 minutes with kids sitting on shoulders, and lots of kids missed out on seeing anything. If they were like ours, this concert was their only reason for being there yesterday.
There was a “pram parking area”, but the security guard there disappeared as soon as the show started never to return – brilliant – convince people it is safe to leave your things there then bugger off!
There was no hope of taking photos of your kids watching the show, as the only way for them to see it was to send them in under the adults to squeeze in to shere they could see something.
There could easily have been 2000 kids there watching had the arrangements been made better.
Big shame.