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A new gallery: Grand Opening of the new Morning Dove Inn Belmar 2012
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Last night, residents packed the Paramount Theatre for the first of three Bamboozle public awareness meetings. Event organizers are holding the information sessions to keep residents abreast of plans for one of Asbury Park’s largest concerts ever, taking place less than two weeks from now.

The Bamboozle festival, set for May 18 through 20, is expected to draw 20,000 to 40,000 people into town each day. The Bamboozle first took place in 2003 in Asbury Park and was held in the Meadowlands for the past few years. This year, event organizers LiveNation decided to bring the concert back to Asbury Park in honor of its tenth anniversary, according to Scott O’Donnell of LiveNation [pictured above, standing].

O’Donnell presented logistics to the crowd and Police Chief Mark Kinmon talked about law enforcement preparations. Afterward, O’Donnell, Kinmon, city manager Terry Reidy, LiveNation director of logistics Sean Conner and Madison Marquette head of retail Carrie Turner fielded questions from the crowd.

Last night’s meeting was being held for the benefit of Asbury Park residents. Meetings for business owners were scheduled for May 8 at 8 a.m. and May 9 at 5:30 p.m., both in city hall council chambers.

FESTIVAL LAYOUT

Bamboozle seating chart offical 2012

There will be two entrance points for the festival, one near the arcade and one on Ocean Avenue. The entire festival area will be surrounded by an eight-foot fence, O’Donnell said. The festival area’s borders are Fifth Avenue to the south; past Seventh Avenue to the north; Kingsley Street to the west and the ocean to the left. Concertgoers will have access to the beach but swimming will be prohibited. To see a site map, click here.

Seven stages will be in use at different times throughout the festival, including the Paramount Theater, Convention Hall, a beach party stage and the main stage, which will straddle the boardwalk at the northernmost end of the concert site, O’Donnell said.

In Bradley Park, there will be food vendors and other merchandise, as well as a stage. Food prices at Bamboozle will range from $5 to $10, O’Donnell said.

There will also be a Ferris wheel on the site, as well as beach volleyball. More than 300 restrooms are planned for the site, O’Donnell said.

HOURS OF OPERATION

The Bamboozle Festival will last from 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday and crowds of about 20,000 people are expected, O’Donnell said. On Saturday and Sunday, the festival will last from 2 to 11 p.m. and draw 40,000 and 30,000 people, respectively, although the total capacity of the event area is 60,000.

The event’s box office will be located in the Carousel building and parking lot, O’Donnell said. The box office will be open Wednesday through Sunday.

Attendees will receive RFID wristbands in the mail, O’Donnell said. They will be able to enter the concert using scanners at the two main entrances, at the Arcade and on Ocean Avenue. The scanners can admit one customer every 2.3 seconds.

TRAINS AND SHUTTLES

Concert-goers who arrive via NJ Transit trains will walk from the train stop to the event, O’Donnell said. LiveNation has worked with NJ Transit to add more trains on the nights of the festival. The last trains out of Asbury Park on Friday and Saturday will leave at 2:05 a.m. and on Sunday, the last train will leave at 1:05 a.m.

There is space for more than 9,700 cars at Monmouth Raceway and those who park there will pay $10 for round-trip shuttle service to the event. The shuttling is being handled by Game Day, the same company taking care of shuttles at the upcoming London Olympic Games, O’Donnell said. If the lots at Momouth Raceway fill up, event organizers will use space for an additional 1,000 cars at Seven Presidents Park in Long Branch.

Shuttle service will start about three hours before the event each day.

PARKING IN ASBURY

The police department will barricade streets, starting at Kingsley Avenue, as parking fills up, said Police Chief Mark Kinmon. He anticipates by the end of each day, the barricades could reach as far west as Main Street.

Police officers are being instructed to use discretion in allowing access to people who live east of the blocked-off areas. Kinmon assured residents they would be able to access their homes and leave town as they wish, although parking may be a problem.

Ocean Avenue is the only road that will be completely closed to the public. Sunset Avenue, Asbury Avenue and Third Avenue will remain open in case emergency egress is needed, Kinmon said.

On Cookman Avenue, parking for bicycles will be available in the “stump lot” full of wooden pilings in Kennedy Park, O’Donnell said. Parking for motorcycles will also be available nearby.

Employees of the festival and boardwalk or waterfront businesses will be able to park at Deal Casino several miles north of the festival and shuttles will bring them to work, organizers said. This should take about five or 10 minutes per trip.

Parking regulations within the event area and throughout town will be in effect throughout the event, Reidy said.

AFTER-PARTIES

Event organizers are holding after-parties at The Stone Pony, The Wonder Bar and Convention Hall until 1:30 a.m. each night of the festival.

“Part of the function of the after-party is to … try and control all the people leaving town at one time,” O’Donnell said.

There will also be a five-minute fireworks display on the beach at the end of each night.

SPACE FOR PARENTS

Throughout the festival, parents of younger attendees will be invited to stay in The Stone Pony while the festival goes on, O’Donnell said. The Stony Pony’s capacity is 950.

Also, parents will be able to travel on the shuttle with their children if they so choose.

PUBLIC OUTREACH

During the festival, the city will enable a Bamboozle hotline for residents who encounter issues like overflowing garbage cans or illegally parked cars, Reidy said.

O’Donnell’s PowerPoint presentation, which included maps and other information, will be available soon on the city website, organizers said.

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ASBURY PARK— The city will hold special information meetings Monday, May 7, and Tuesday, May 8, to get everyone on board for the upcoming three-day Bamboozle festival of pop, rock, metal and comedy on the beach May 18-20.

The Monday meeting for city residients will be at 6:30 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre and the Tuesday meeting for local businesses will be at 8 a.m. in the City Council chambers. An evening meeting for business owners also is being finalized.

The city will give final details for traffic management, vendors and other plans to handle a large crowd over three days.

City officials Wednesday night agreed to waive restrictions on the consumption of alcohol on beaches to allow drinking of alcoholic beverages in specific areas during the festival, City Attorney Frederick C. Raffetto said.

That waiver still had to get a final approval from the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Raffetto said.