. "0"^^ . . "3"^^ . . "Advertised as a BBQ and blues fest, it certainly lives up to the blues claim. IF YOU ARE A BLUES FAN, this is the place to be. They offer up some great talent. As for the BBQ, once you have eaten, and there are some pretty good vittles there, the BBQ portion of the fest is subtracted from the equation leaving not a whole lot to do if you are not into the music or into the competition aspect of the BBQ. I was very surprised that there were no other vendors/artists included in the festival.\nYou have to purchase tickets to buy food or drinks which is to their advantage because if you over estimate how many tickets you need, they are not refundable, you are just out the money. No coolers are allowed which is understandable, they need to make a profit. I don't understand why umbrellas are not allowed. They say it is to avoid blocking the view of the stage for the people behind you. Yet in the evening when the crowd gets larger,they allow spectators to stand between the stage and the seating area, blocking the view anyway. They need to work on that. I doubt I will go back unless there is a band that I feel like I must see.\nNow, that being said, I encourage everyone to visit the town of Madison at least once. The historic district is BEAUTIFUL! and the architecture makes you feel like you are in a mini version of Charleston or Savannah. I do plan to return soon on a quiet weekend (Madison has several festivals each year) when I can take my time to enjoy the beauty of the town."^^ . "3"^^ . "2013-08-17T00:00:00"^^ . "1"^^ .