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Bristol is going British. Parking spaces are being turned into stages, traffic is being rerouted and tents are going up in preparation of the Gentlemen of the Road concert featuring Mumford & Sons on Saturday.
British flags and stages are going up across Bristol as the city prepares for one of the hottest bands from England, Mumford & Sons to come to the Tri-Cities on Saturday.
"You can see it all across town," said director of operations Charlie Jennings. "They're definitely putting a stamp on the town this weekend."
A stamp and a price tag of about half a million dollars. The bill is mostly being footed by the band, who chose to come to Bristol. "[They choose] the Bristol sign, everything about Bristol. The beautiful area, history of country music, two states, amazing downtown...it's really the perfect location," Jennings said.
But t's not all fun, games and mustaches -- the director of operations tells me there is full plan in place for infrastructure safety and preparing for Mother Nature. "We take safety very seriously. We have a huge procedure plan that ties in with weather management," Jennings said.
That includes managing thousands of people in the downtown area with two stages: one on the corner of State Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, and the other in Cumberland Square Park at the festival entrance.
Event organizers tell us that because more than 15,000 people will be in downtown Bristol, one of the things you can't bring into the festival is chairs. Weapons, outside food, drinks, alcohol, illegal substances of any kind, umbrellas, and coolers are also prohibited.
However, outside of the festival area we're told there will be plenty of free music, beer gardens and activities around downtown starting on Friday.
Leah Ross, executive director of the Birthplace of Country Music Association and Rhythm & Roots, has worked closely with the team that brought the concert to Bristol. "If you don't have a ticket to come in to this concert, don't let that stop you from coming downtown because there's going to be music and fun everywhere," she said.
For the full lineup, schedule and more information, visit bristolrhythm.com.
