‘Come and Float It’

County judge approves permit for Float Fest

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After months of uncertainty, litigation and pitches to local municipalities, Float Fest finally has a new home in Gonzales County. Judge Pat Davis approved a permit for the mass gathering of 25,000 individuals at James Cannan’s ranch, located off County Road 197 across from J.B. Wells Park and roughly two miles south of the City of Gonzales.

The event is scheduled for three days, July 19-21. The campgrounds will open on July 19, while the concert will span July 20-21. Lineup information will be released at 10 a.m. Thursday. The Guadalupe River runs along 2.5 miles of the Cannan property. In a shift from the previous location in Martindale, the river will be accessible from festival grounds.

Judge Davis was met with little resistance at the hearing, though there was one dissenter who voiced their concerns. Tom Goynes, co-owner of the San Marcos River Retreat, criticized the event for allowing profanity to permeate the air and contributing to river pollution. Goynes pleaded with the judge to build a “can ban” into the city’s contract with the festival.

“They drink ‘em and sink ‘em,” Goynes said of previous festival patron’s “Keystone Light” drinking habits.

No such provision has been built into the permit. Float Fest founder Marcus Federman took time to address Goyne’s claims directly and claimed Goynes “follows” him to public hearings.

“You could ask a lot of folks on the San Marcos River and they’ll tell you that the river is cleaner when we leave than it was before we got there,” Federman said. “He (Goynes) follows me around to all these hearings, and wants a can ban, and wants to talk bad about me and my festival online, in hearings, etc. I frankly don’t really know why he’s here.”

All of the other speakers voiced support of the festival coming to Gonzales and highlighted the economic boon the event could bring.

“I believe we should at least give Float Fest and Marcus a shot,” Alison Rodriguez, general manager of the Holiday Inn in Gonzales said. “I mean, I have the same concerns, but I really believe that this is going to be a good thing for Gonzales.”

Following hearing all the public comments and reviewing letters sent by local law enforcement and emergency services agencies, Davis approved the permit.

“It’s going to be a drain somewhat on the sheriff’s department, because we don’t have a big sheriff’s department, but I believe that we can make that work,” Davis said. “Having Float Fest here one time would give us an idea of what we have.”

Davis mentioned that Federman said if Float Fest went well, he would be interested in potentially adding another festival in Gonzales that caters to fans of country western music. Float Fest’s mass gathering permit is on a year-to-year basis, meaning there will be another public hearing regarding the location for festival’s 2020 show sometime next year.

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