The Ultimate Weekend

Tom

An Old Friend
If, for one long weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Monday), You could host any get-together with any theme. Money not an issue, you can get any artist (living or dead) and any celebrity (living or dead) and untold thousands would show up. Perfect weather, all regulations and grounds setup taken care of.

What would you sponsor?

I think I would scratch the sky. I would put on an event that would go down in history as the most intense experience ever to behold. A 24/7 Event!

Location:
I know that in Missouri there are very large tracks of farmland that border the Mississippi River. I would fence off about 25 miles of it on both sides of the river. I would line the banks with boardwalks dotted with small shops and facilities for vendors to set up to sell memorabilia, food and whatnots. There would be small kiosks for carnival type food every so often. The area would be 25 miles long and four miles wide with the river intersecting the center. Ferries would be available to cross the river at certain locations. Parking areas would line the outside edges and shuttle trains would be available for transporting to different areas of the event.

Themes:
There would be multiple themes employed thru-out the area. All the themes would be intermixed with each other with no dedicated area for any one theme. It would be a concert, carnival, convention, flea market, craft show. There would be rides, games, contests and performances. There would be panels and party tents, live animal rides and exotic food stands. The guest stars would intermingle with the crowds. Musical artists would mill about playing acoustically at different tents or in the fairways. Movie producers would hold auditions for regular folks. Record companies would sponsor talent shows and give recording packages as prizes. You would find all forms of Speculative Fiction, Arts, Comedy and Music.

Specific Attractions:
Barge Bands- Four huge barges would host as stages for headliner bands. Each band would do a six-hour set on their decorated barge stage then be replaced with another barge with a different band. Anchored at four spots along the river. All the band barges at the event start, would parade to their designated staging areas with the four starting bands playing as they parade by. At the end of the event, The last four bands would parade downriver to the teardown area. When not on set the band members would c0-mingle with everyone else.
Live-Fire Arena- A large fenced in area that back-stops against a cliff wall. The US Marine Corps sponsors live-firing of a multitude of weapons. The experience would be sold as rounds for the specific weapons. From 1 round up to 100 rounds you can personally fire; 9mm, 45 cal., automatic assault weapons, RPGs or cannons. Old cars and what-not would dot the firing range for targets. Pictures of you firing the weapon would be available as well as video of your experience for a small fee. All safety precautions would be worked out and adhered to.
Cosplay Stages- Thru-out the area Cosplay stages would dot the landscape. Scene re-enactments, contests and awards presented. Professional make-up artists would be available to give tips and pointers. All related paraphernalia would be sold, cheap. Famous Cosplay artists would give presentations. The Syfy Channel would be on hand to film the stage events for a special presentation.
Author Tents- Not only would there be live fiction authors promoting their latest works and signing autographs, certain tents would be dedicated to the late and greats. A place to learn about your favorite genre authors, buy their works and memorabilia. During the late night hours these tents would feature small cafes and present famous speakers reading those works in a mood enhanced setting.
Collectors Tents- A multitude of tents would be set up to house collectors swap-meet events and auctions. Some sponsored by major toy companies and entertainment corporations and some sponsored by the local Star Wars type guy. Free appraisals and owner certificates would be available to all. From old bottles to state of the arts animatronics would be presented. You would also find collecting support equipment like display cases, cleaning & reconditioning tools and tons of books & catalogs.
Exotic Foods- The Kling-On Cafe, Atlantis Seafood Company, X-Files Weird & Wonderful, Mos Eisley Cantina, House of Pain Exotic Foods, The Blood & Bone Diner, Godzilla Snacks, Romantic Interludes Dining Establishment, Alternate History Grub Shop, Body Parts Bread Company and More... Famous chefs from around the world take their favorite recipes and put a genre twist on the presentations. Each establishment also sells take-home versions as well as sugar creations of your favorite genre themes.
Remote-Control Compound- A designated area with a stage that features a track with obstacles where you can bring your remote controlled cars, trucks and watercraft (no aerial items, please) to compete with others for a prize. Tents and Kiosks in the area buy, sell & trade remote control accessories as well as state of the art units and paraphernalia. Booths sponsored by major universities give advice and tips to anyone that asks. Special presentations by major universities display and discuss the state of the remote-control arts. A demonstration is held in the Live Fire Arena for State of the Arts robotic weaponry.
Launch Pad- NASA sponsored model rocket launch. Hobbyists compete for prizes and fame on creativity, functionality and flight duration/height/distance records. Tents and kiosks dot the area with supplies, model kits and collecting paraphernalia. NASA teams up with major universities to provide tips and guidance to interested parties. The US Airforce sponsors a live test firing of a jet engine. Zambelli Fireworks presents a 4 hour display after sunset on Monday night.
Gong Show Talent Stage- Full improv stage where a panel of celebrities from comedy, drama, music and dance act as judges for anyone willing to come on stage. You can present your talent with the chance of a new career or the dreaded GONG. Yes, Alcohol will be available. Spectate for free and get a laugh or two. Talk your drunk buddy into crooning to the stars for some picture/video memories.
Museum Tents- Tour the various museum tents that offer view and knowledge into the minds of some of the genre's greatest talents. Harryhausen's Stop Motion, Geiger's Aliens, Rob Bottin's World, Tom Savini's Special Make-Up Effects, Stan Winston Studio, Rick Baker's Studio, Stan Lee's Studio, Jack Kirby's Comic World, Museum of Metallica, George Jones & Friends, Psy-Trance Display and many more...
Scavenger Hunts- Event-wide four day scavenger hunt competition offering a $10,000.00 Prize and multiple $1,000.00 & $100.00 cash prizes. For a small fee on day one you can register to compete with 50 other participants and receive a 'Hunt Package' With rules and tools to help you compete. 50 different paths thru the event over the events duration where you perform tasks, find objects, obtain signatures and earn participant tokens culminating at the Fireworks display Monday night where the winner is presented with a check for $10,000.00 and the runner-ups receive their cash.
Tour Trams- Trolley Trains cart your tired body around the event on designated pathways for free. The guide announces stops and attractions, relays scheduling information and gives you trivia. At stops the conductor answers location and stops questions. Conductors and guides will be famous celebrities often in full make-up and costumes. Autographs can be only obtained at stops (for your safety).

That's all I got for now. My brain went blank. I'd love to see all your ideas on this topic. How extreme can you go?
 
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