When we met two weeks ago at Knox Farm State Park, Jenn Brazill, co-founder of the Borderland Festival, was in a reflective mood. It was a pause in the frantic final days of preparation for the seventh Borderland, running this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“In this climate that we are now living in right now, it’s really hard for independent festivals to stay afloat,” Brazill shared.
“The fact that we continue to grow each year says so much about the support we get from the region,” she said, offering a laundry list of supporters: Tourism Buffalo, East Aurora Chamber of Commerce, Erie County, I Love New York, Friends of Knox State Park.
“It really does take a village, and beyond, to build something like this.”
It also takes music, and with three stages running for three days and nights, lots of music.
“I don’t mean to ever say one band is bigger than another, but obviously some bands sell more tickets than others. So, every year we grow into the bands that sell more and more.”
Headliners include Vampire Weekend and Khruangbin. Again, this year, regional acts will get a chance to show off in front of large crowds on the Homespun Stage.
“I think it’s going to be our biggest year,” Brazill said.
“It’s trending like that. It’s very exciting. But, with that, comes another layer of challenges.”
Larger crowds might challenge Borderland’s “Leave No Trace Policy,” the commitment to keep Knox Farm State Park environmentally healthy after the bands and fans are gone. Brazill details her organization’s “very precise” approach to sustainability. They hire a “green team” that is assisted by a band of over 100 volunteers who scan the grounds for garbage.
“When they take it all back to our sorting station behind the scenes, they literally hand sort through the trash.”
Last year, that effort resulted in over 1,800 pounds of compost going to Farmer Pirates Compost. The proceeds from returnable containers were donated to the Rural Outreach Center.
“We're a plastic-free site, so we have refillable water stations,” said Brazill as she encouraged fans to come prepared to stay hydrated.
“You know, that takes away revenue from the water sales that we could be having, but we'd rather give away free water because it's the right thing to do.”
Brazill suggests bringing an empty, reusable container for water. If that’s not convenient, commemorative, stainless steel cups will be for sale. She says it’s good for a dollar off each beer purchase.
“I would say just look around you, be mindful of the environment once you get out here,” Brazill urged. “
“As you can see, it's so beautiful. And I think once people get here, they really want to help keep it clean.”
