BURNET, Texas — UPDATE: As of Monday morning, the Texas Eclipse Festival has been canceled due to severe weather concerns.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The Texas Eclipse Festival in Burnet is welcoming tens of thousands of people from all over to come out and take part in viewing the total solar eclipse, as well as enjoying all types of activities before the rare event.
However, some have claimed that the first-time festival hasn't gone so smoothly.
The four-day event – located at the Reveille Peak Ranch – started on April 5, and people quickly took to social media to comment on what they referred to as a "fiasco."
Users wrote that musical artists in the lineup had pulled out of the gig, that there was not enough camping space and that there was no on-site will call.
On Saturday, KVUE went down to the festival grounds to investigate if that was the case.
Festivalgoers told us there were some hiccups when it came to getting in, but once they were inside, the focus shifted to the reasons why they came.
Nathan, who did not want to share his last name, came to the festival from Dallas and said the complaints he had seen were mostly on the internet.
"Obviously, some people get lost in the big festival crowd, but the people on the bikes, we've been able to ask them and they're pretty educated and where everything is," Nathan said.
Ashley Moore, who came from Missouri, noted the disorganization and long wait to get in, but said once they got to their designated campsite, there were no issues.
"Logistics, like getting around and getting people in and organized. I'm kind of scared of when it's time to leave, but the other stuff, we haven't heard about," Moore said.
KVUE asked Melina Kats from Austin about any word of artists pulling out.
"From my understanding, marketing, they went ahead of being like, 'Hey, this artist is coming in.' … They're not actually coming,'" Kats said.
However, she, too, noted that despite the roadblocks, she was overall content with how the festival has gone.
KVUE reached out to the organizers of the festival, who provided the following statement:
“Texas Eclipse Festival’s turnout has been remarkable, with guests coming from over 40 countries and all 50 states to partake in this celestial spectacle. This is a first-time festival at a 2,000 acre ranch in challenging terrain in a remote area. As organizers, our primary goal is to create a memorable, safe experience for all festival-goers. We are working through the highly complex task of getting tens of thousands of people settled into designated campsites. As we recognize challenges, we work to address them quickly. Fans can pick up their tickets at the on site box office.”
The festival is set to last through April 9.