Q&A: Producer of Pleasant Town Music Festival discusses the venue and vision for the future
Centennial Nights and Pleasant Town Music Festival producer Chris Stewart sits in front of a window Sep. 16 at Java City inside the Charles V. Park Library.
CMU alumnus and producer of Centennial Nights Chris Stewart sat down with Central Michigan Life to discuss the upcoming event Pleasant Town Music and Art Festival.
The Chelsea native graduated in 2018 and now works for the Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce as a marketer and event planner.
He has been influential in putting on Centennial Nights events, which are local celebrations of music and art, for four years.
Stewart hopes the Pleasant Town event on Sept. 28 leads to grander things for his future.
He is working with his friend Spencer to put together a production company whose name will not limit them to Michigan. He hopes to put on festivals regionally, nationally and eventually host events all over.
On Sept. 22, Magical Mitten Productions received one of six sound permits for the Central Michigan University football game. A stage with speakers and DJ’s will promote the festival that weekend.
“Hopefully, we aren’t too loud,” he said.
CM LIFE: Is event planning what you’ve always wanted to do?
Stewart: I have been going to festivals my whole life. I am the guy who is sitting there thinking “Why are they doing it like this when they could be doing it like this?” I try to be as perfectionist as possible. Live music is a very finicky thing. If only one thing is off, it can affect the entire night. If one person is affected, that person’s energy affects another people’s energy. Someday, I hope to be putting on festivals full-time.
Did you go to any festivals this summer?
This summer I only got to go to Electric Forest and Movement, which are two festivals that happen in Michigan. Movement in Detroit and Electric Forest in the West side of the state. I usually go to a bunch. In past years, I have been to festivals in British Columbia, New Orleans and Colorado.
What’s been your favorite festival?
Last year, I went to the Oregon Eclipse Festival in Sun Prairie. It was out on this big plateau off this 30-minute mountain drive. It was a week long and in the middle of the festival the solar eclipse took place, so there were 45,000 of us listening to music and watching the solar eclipse.
Can you describe the Pleasant Town Festival?
The biggest thing with Pleasant Town is we have a sound permit from the city, so we will be setting up a major stage in the parking lot of Centennial Hall, as well as a silent disco. There are going to be four places of music going for the entire day.
We are magnifying what we’ve done in the past. The level of people playing and the production value is going to be much greater. We have a capacity permit for 1,200 people. There will be 23 different acts playing from 3-10 p.m.
We are also working on bringing in more established artist and art from other festivals. In the past, we have been working with people in the community, but since we have more space to play with, we can draw in more unique people who haven’t working with us in the past.
By the end of next week, there should be a map released that will better detail everything going on.
How many people do you expect?
We have a capacity permit of 1,200 people, which include inside in two rooms and in the parking lot. This is the biggest festival I’ve gotten to plan out on my own. We shouldn’t have the problem of selling out. If we do, that would be awesome.
What is the focus of this event?
When we knew we wanted to have a larger event, we wanted to come up with a name that related back to the community – "Pleasant Town" and “Pleasant Mountain” – stuff like that. We liked keeping it simple with Pleasant Town, because it brings the community together. There are few good marketing links between the students and local businesses, but I think we can provide that unique opportunity.
What do you hope it accomplishes for the future?
In year two, I hope to do a two-night event — Saturday into Sunday. I want it to keep growing and include as many people as possible. There aren’t enough venues in (Mount Pleasant) for musicians and artists. There is a special link between students and the community, which creates a great atmosphere for live music.
Do you plan on continuing to put on Centennial Nights?
Yes, definitely. Coming up on Oct. 31, which is Halloween, we are going be spookier with a costume party and decorations. This is an idea we have had, but never got to do. It is going to be unique. People are going to have something to do that Wednesday night. The Centennial Nights crew is also going to have an event Nov. 17, which will be back to our normal Centennial Nights set-up.
