The 2012 Big Time Out music festival will run for two full days Aug. 18 and 19 at Village Park in Cumberland. The event was held last year at Ash Berry Farm in Royston because Village council sided with police concerns about security and denied an application to hold the festival at the park.Source Security will oversee this year's event, augmented by a volunteer security team. BTO producer Kevin Haughton of Wild Bunch Productions, appearing Monday before council, is confident security concerns have been mitigated. Visible security personnel should help establish a fast-flowing process with clear entry and exit routes, along with a presence on the street. That said, security personnel "can only do so much," Haughton said. The event will be non-alcoholic except for the backstage hospitality area limited to artists and guests. About 2,000 people are expected to attend on the Saturday and 2,500 on Sunday. Onsite camping will be available, as it was in 2010, which Haughton said was a non-issue. He figures the event will double or even triple the village's population in a day, in response to a question from Coun. Roger Kishi about benefits to businesses and non-profits.Wild Bunch Productions intends to hold forums at local high schools to impress upon youth the "virtues of conducting themselves in a fashion conducive to safety and harmony," Haughton states in a letter to the Village and police. The team will also hold a forum for the village's business community to explore ways of prospering from the event and contributing to its safety. reporter@comoxvalleyrecord.com
