During Moogfest 2016 this weekend in Durham, I will go back and forth between the many venues for music performances, workshops, and speakers. Just like any festival goer knows, venue-hoping is no joke, especially when many of these artists are flying in from all over the world. Who knows if you’ll ever see them again? Here are some of the ways I plan on getting around Durham this weekend as quickly (and cheaply) as possible.
My first piece of advice is the Bull City Connector (BCC). If you’re ever in Downtown Durham, this bus is your friend. The BCC is the only bus in the GoDurham Bus System (previously Durham Area Transit Authority) that is completely free. Whether you’re trying to get from First Presbyterian Church to Bull McCabe’s or anywhere in between, BCC passes over the ten event venues on and around Main Street every 17 minutes. It runs Thursday and Friday from 6:30 am to 2 am and Saturday from 10 am to 9 pm.
If you want to hit up Nasher Museum either to catch the Unique Dissertations // Cosmic Communications presentation by tAz Arnold on Friday or just to take advantage of the free admission that your Moogfest pass grants you for the weekend, you can hop the BCC to the Durham Bus Station and then take the 6/6B for $1.00 each way (or purchase a day pass for $2.00). If you’ve got extra free time, the Nasher Museum is a five minute walk from Duke Gardens, which is a fun and beautiful walk (aka super Instagram-able).
Last, but not least, the method of alternative transportation that I will certainly be using this weekend is my bike. First and foremost, biking between venues is (in my opinion) the fastest, cheapest, and easiest way to expedite venue-hopping. Parking is going to be impossible, and some of the walks between venues could slice a solid fifteen minutes out of a set. Skip the hike. Grab your bike (I can hear you groaning at my rhymes through the internet).
Secondly, if you haven’t heard yet, Moogfest partnered up with a few local bike orgs and New Belgium to host the Bike to Moogfest initiative, inviting festgoers to leave their cars at home and bike to the festival. Signing the pledge to do so puts you in the running for a pair of VIP tix and a Detroit Bikes 3-speed. They’ve even got long-term bike parking at Diamond View Park where your bike can nap safe-and-sound for the duration of the festival.
I plan on maximizing my Moogfest experience by taking advantage of anything faster than walking (or parking) between venues. But however you choose to navigate Moogfest this weekend, be safe, stick with your pals, and make it to as many of the insanely cool shows this weekend as possible. Bon voyage!
Brought to you by former Program Director, Yvonne Chazal, who also once upon a time lived in Durham.
