The 2023 Black Deer Festival is now sadly over.
As always, the festival was perfectly executed, with just the right amount of attractions, stages and eateries.
The Stages and Acts
There were plenty of stages at this year’s festival with some notable changes over previous years.
The addition of the Arkansas stage was a stroke of genius by the organisers, drawing sizeable crowds to hear Arkansas artists perform and regale stories of their lives there. The front porch look really gave the stage an atmosphere to compliment the artists.
Another change was Haley’s Bar. Now an open fronted tent with a seating area outside, as well as plenty of standing room, it was a firm favourite with festival goers. The stage was a nice size with all the lighting and smoke you would expect, viewing was good from multiple angles and the music could easily be heard from outside the tent.
The Main Stage and The Ridge were, as other years, both well constructed, hosting a good array of lighting, smoke and sound equipment.
One sad loss this year was the Road House which, instead of being a covered venue with the rustic walls we have grown to love from the Black Deer, was more akin to an open fronted storage container.
This being said, some excellent acts performed there and the covered seating area was always full.
The two bars that were situated there were always easy to get served at and never too busy.
Caffe Nero was a new addition and started the days proceedings off very early; too early for many on site!
The ability to get a morning coffee, tea or smoothie whilst listening to some truly brilliant bands was a well thought out move by the team. I was especially pleased to see Morganway perform there who drew a big crowd and gave everyone a great show.
The level of artists was very high as you would expect from the award winning festival, however I personally felt there was a little more of a Folk and Blues feel to many of the acts, although all were brilliant.
You just never know what you are going to get at a festival and the Black Deer always produces acts that will become firm favourites for years to come.
One point that I heard mentioned a lot in the field was the lack of noise separation. I have to say i agree with many of the patrons on that one, and although I know it is difficult when you have so many stages, this will need addressing for future events.
It made listening to some stages a little difficult but didn’t detract from the overall event largely.
Facilities
The facilities on site were of a very high standard. There were plenty of toilets for both male and female patrons on the field, the camping areas also had good toilet and shower facilities, all of which were clean and usable.
The only criticism I heard from around the ground was, as happens at many festivals, the lack of loo paper; its a part of festival life and always a potential issue.
Security and information staff were in good numbers in the field, giving the patrons a reassuring feeling of safety and competence.
One thing I think could be improved on was the shortage of festival maps around the event. There could have been more available, as people arriving for their first day may have had trouble finding the stages they wanted to see.
There was a good app supplied by the festival which had a site map included, but sometimes the lack of signal made things a little tricky there.
The app was well thought out, with an Artist Section, Line up and My Schedule (this was particularly useful for arranging your stay and stages) and Clash Finder, which was a great asset.
It would be even better if the organiser’s could find a way to increase the phone signal, as in most places it was non existent which made planning the day difficult.
The lack of phone charging stations was a cause of concern to campers. For campers this meant many had flat phones within a day leaving them unable to contact friends and family as well as being unable to use the festival app. This is something that may make a lot of difference to some.
Food and Retail
There were a huge array of food vendors this year, with anything from Chinese to Venison. You could get Crepes, Pizza, Burgers, Vegan and Jerk Curry. It was very well thought out.
There were no shortage of bars either. With one at every turn, you were never far from your favourite tipple.
The staff on all bars were also super friendly and eager to help.The addition of an auto dispensing bar was brilliant.
Pop a cup under the spout and the machine did the rest. It would even detect a possible damaged cup and not dispense until resolved.
This also went for a wet bottom to your cup, but easily resolved with a wipe!
For me the winner on the food front was Game and Flames, who barbecued their meat over an open fire, the old school way.
The meat was pegged out on a skewer and leant over a wood fire to cook slowly for hours; it was simply divine.
There were more in the way of retail stands this year too, or at least it felt that way. All were providing quality products at reasonable prices.
This area was a must visit, but be careful, you may have ended up spending a lot more than you anticipated.
Special Events
One event that stood out for me was the Sunday open air Gospel Church.
It gained a huge crowd, with mass participation. This really got Sunday off to a fantastic start and you could see the joy in peoples faces during and after the event.
Well done Black Deer for including this, it was brilliant.
In a nutshell
To sum up this years Black Deer festival in a few words.
- Fun
- Entertaining
- Discovery
- Professional
- Dedicated
- Brilliant
Id personally like to thank the PR team who handled the Press, arranging passes and liaising with artists for interviews etc. you were all amazing so thank you for making the festival a success for Nashville Worldwide
Tickets for the 2024 Black Deer have already gone on sale as Super Early Bird Tickets Click Here To Purchase
The website will have ticket details in use course Black Deer Website Click Here
