FAQ for Common Ground Music Fest

Where can I purchase my tickets? [top]
Tickets are available on-line at www.commongroundfest.com
All Star Tickets Plus outlets 1-800-585-3737
At the festival office: 333 N. Cedar St. Lansing, MI 48912. (517) 267-1502
At the festival box office on the festival grounds

What are the Box Office Hours? [top]
The West Box Office located at the corner of Grand Avenue and Saginaw Street is open:
Box Office hours information coming soon.
The East Box Office located on Museum drive just north of the Lansing Center operates:
Box Office hours information coming soon.

How much are tickets? [top]
All tickets/passes to Common Ground are at LIMITED supply! Common Cards are $85 now through June 30, 2008, and are $95 starting July 1, 2008. Single day ticket cost will vary per day and are TBD now through June 30, 2008. Single day tickets will also increase in price starting July 1, 2008. Children 10 years old and younger are FREE when accompanied by an adult.
Please see the Tickets page for current single day pricing.

Also, the Common Ground Music Festival now offers nightly upgrades to limited reserved seating, as long as it's available, at both main stages, for an additional $10 a night. The reserved seating for the Capital City Airport West Main Stage includes approximately 150 seats, located next to the sound mixing position, at about 150 feet from the front of the stage. The reserved seating at the Pearle Vision East Main Stage includes the first 11 rows directly in front of the stage, on designated nights.

Reserved seating for each night is a separate purchase, in addition to your single day ticket or your Common Card (multiple day pass), and is available at all ticket outlets, including the box office at the gate, while reserved seats are still available. Everyone must have a single day ticket or Common Card, and an upgrade ticket to be seated in this area, including all children 10 and under.

What types of payment are accepted? [top]
The Common Ground Festival accepts: Visa, Mastercard, and US Currency.

Star Tickets Plus accepts: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and U.S. Currency. Personal checks are accepted up until seven (7) days before the date of the event.

Can I get cash at the festival? Are there ATMs? [top]
ATM machines are located at the Information Booths located near each entrance.
Other local Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) are located:
Inside the Lansing Center at the corner of Michigan Ave. and Larch
Quality Dairy at the corner of Saginaw and Larch
National City Bank at the corner of Michigan Ave. and Washington

Is there a place that I can leave tickets for a friend to pick up later? [top]
The Will Call window is at the West Box Office located at Grand Avenue and Saginaw Street ONLY! Please be aware that if you go to the East Box Office on Museum Drive you will have to walk around to the West gate on the outside of the festival grounds. You will not be permitted to cut through the festival grounds.

Is there a telephone number that I can leave for my babysitter? [top]
In an emergency, they can call the Festival Office at (517) 267-1502. The office is staffed during all hours that the festival is in operation.

What should I do if I lose my child inside the festival? [top]
If your child becomes lost inside of the festival grounds, please notify the uniformed security officers immediately. There are several uniformed security officers located throughout the festival, plus there is a "Police Station" located on the Shiawassee bridge just west of the Super Shot.

I want to see two (or more) different bands on the same night, do I need separate tickets? [top]
No. Once you pay your admission for that day/night, you are able to go to any concert or show without having to purchase any extra tickets.

What does my admission include? [top]
Once your admission is paid, you are able to go to any part of the park without paying extra for any of the concerts or the free children's activities. And remember, children 10 and under are FREE!

If I want my band to participate in the festival, where and when must I have the promotional material to Common Ground? [top]
The Common Ground Festival has a capacity of 17,500 (combining both stages). We are a concert venue that books national touring bands through their agencies.

Local bands are rarely added to our shows. Artists like The Allman Brothers Band, 3 Doors Down, David Lee Roth and Joe Cocker would never call for a local opener. Reasons being, they obviously sell out on their own, and it is a national tour, usually made up of 3-4 bands, they have been doing the same production city to city. They do not want to change up their production to accommodate a local support band. Of course the Common Ground Festival would love to give a local band a chance to play in front of a large crowd but adding support is dictated by the tour, the band, the agent and the management not the festival/venue. In the case of the Sandbar, we choose a band that will promote, sell tickets and is establishing a fan-base around town. We find them through other clubs in town that book a lot of local bands. It doesn't hurt to ask if a local band will be added to the main stage. We do try to do this as much as possible, but again, it is the tour that will dictate whether or not local support is added, not the venue. As far as adding to an existing show, if we have that opportunity, we do use regional and local bands.

Press Kits: We know you spend a lot of time and money to put your CDs out and get a kit together, but usually we do not have enough time to go through the abundance of CDs we receive. If you would like to send us a press kit, please include a picture, short bio (1-2 paragraphs), a CD containing a few of your best cuts, an e-mail address and / or daytime phone number (this is a must have). Please send your promo packs to...

Common Ground Festival
Local Bands
333 N. Cedar St.
Lansing, MI 48912

PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE OFFICE TO FIND OUT IF YOUR BAND HAS BEEN SELECTED. We will call or e-mail you by June 1, 2008 to let you know if you have or have not been selected. If you call our office, we will automatically remove your name from the list of potential local openers.

If you have questions after reading the information above, please e-mail megassistant@acd.net.

If I would like to be a vendor at Common Ground, what is the procedure I must follow?[top]
Please contact the festival office, by one of the following ways:

PH: 517.267.1502
FX: 517.267.8955

E-Mail: megassistant@acd.net

Mail:
Vendor Information
Common Ground Festival
333 N. Cedar St.
Lansing, MI 48912

Once it is determined that your product and the Common Ground Festival are a good match, an application will be mailed.

Am I allowed to bring a backpack or purse into the festival?[top]
No. There are certain items that are not permitted and cannot be brought onto the Common Ground Festival grounds. Common Ground Festival reserves the right to alter carry-in policies at any time. Currently, these items include, but are not limited to:

Backpacks
Large bags
Other carry-ins
Outside food
Cans or glass bottles
Alcohol
Contraband
Pets
Video equipment
Professional Cameras
Recording devices
Laser pointers
Skateboards
Inline skates
Coaster wagons
Kites
Frisbees
Picnic baskets

Can I bring food or drink into the festival grounds? [top]
No. Once inside the festival, you can purchase food and drink from a variety of vendors.

Once inside, can I leave and return later? [top]
Yes. You may leave and return, but you must have your ticket scanned out before you exit. Upon re-entry you will need a valid ticket and wristband.

Does Common Ground have private party or company outing packages? [top]
Yes. For more information on the different types and pricing of private parties, please contact Shelby Bailer at (517) 483-8002.

Can I bring lawn chairs? [top]
Yes. Lawn chairs (6 x 8 max.) are acceptable to bring. We ask that you do NOT bring high back lawn chairs if you plan sitting close to the stage. We recommend the popular "bag" chairs. You will be asked to place the front legs of your chair on the lines we paint on the grass for your convenience! Don't believe us? You would be amazed how comfortable it is for our patrons!

Can I bring a stroller for my child into the festival? [top]
Yes. Strollers are acceptable.

Is Common Ground handicap accessible? [top]
Yes. We go to great lengths to make sure that the whole festival area is handicap accessible. There are handicap accessible restrooms near each stage, an area near each stage that is for handicap patrons and one companion, plus there is ample parking in the LCC parking ramp as well as parking on the street between Grand Avenue and Capitol Avenue on Shiawassee Street, and additional parking under the Lansing Center.

Are wheel chairs available at the festival? [top]
A limited number of wheel chairs are available at either entrance. There is no charge for usage, but a valid picture I.D. and/or driver's license must be left with the gate attendant. When the wheelchair is returned to the same gate it was obtained at, the I.D. will be returned.

Can I bring my service animal with me? [top]
Yes. Service animals are allowed, but pets are not.

Can I bring a camera to the festival? [top]
No audio/video recording devices or professional cameras are allowed.

Can I exchange my ticket(s) if I do not use them? [top]
No refunds or exchanges including, but not limited to, failure of performer(s) to appear, changes in performer(s), or cancellation due to inclement weather.

General Information [top]

· The facility reserves the right to refuse admission or eject any person violating the facility, local, state, or federal laws or whose conduct is deemed illegal, disorderly, or offensive by management.

· Performers, programs, dates and times are subject to change without notice.

· Persons entering the facility may be subjected to search for contraband, professional cameras, video equipment and recording devices, which are expressly forbidden on the facility premises and are subject to confiscation.

· Patrons entering the facility are subject to potentially have their image and/or likeness reproduced for promotional and/or publicity purposes in festival photography and/or web casts by festival, contractor or partner of the festival.

Official Web Designer for Common Ground 2008

Common Ground Music Festival - July 7-13 2008

Information

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