Whew! We’re finally recovering here at Porcupine HQ from last month’s fourteenth-annual Porcupine Freedom Festival. Right off the bat, I’ll confirm that yes, there were fewer attendees this year – a little over 1,000 versus closer to 1,500 for the last couple of years. There are probably several factors that go into that – some we know about and are already working to correct for next year.
Everyone I spoke to enjoyed themselves immensely, and felt like it was one of the top PorcFests. High-caliber conversations, a chance to meet and spend time with fellow activists and future movers, and great content and activities including: Patrick Byrne, Reason Magazine, Dale Brown, Lyn Ulbricht, Tatiana Moroz, Porcupints, Adult Summer Camp, Beergasm, Judd Weiss Photo Workshop, and Daily Doggy Meetups!
We asked for your feedback, and you gave it. With 198 participants completing our survey, it is safe to say that the clear majority enjoyed the event. An incredible 92% overall satisfaction rate makes us feel warm and shiny inside, and we were glad to see that sessions, activities, and speakers were well-received by a strong majority. We hear you when you said that Agora Valley needs to find a better variety of vendors for next year. What’s truly amazing is that 45% of attendees were visiting New Hampshire for the Fest, and we already know that the first step to moving is visiting! We fully expect that 45% to get their butts in gear and #MakeYourMove.
There has already been some media coverage and a bunch of Facebook posts from both first-timers and long-time PF veterans that express the enjoyment of spending a few days with their tribe.
Thank you to Lane and Kendall Strahan for diving right in as Event Producers while they were still settling into New Hampshire, and to all the volunteer coordinators and volunteers – without you we wouldn’t have an event! And special thanks to Gold sponsor Swarm City for the WiFi down on the field.
Next year we’ll be working hard to make the Fifteenth Annual Porcupine Freedom Festival the best one yet. Here’s how you can help:
1. Save the date for PorcFest XV: June 19-24, 2018.
2. Request a speaker or activity.
3. Donate.
Liberty Forum tickets are on sale soon – save the dates (Feb 8-10) and stay tuned!