DC Carnival 2009 concluded in a street parade last Saturday, here is a review of the fete "DV8":
Good day:I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction with the DV8 party that was held by Gresham Entertainment in Upper Marlboro, MD on June 26th, 2009. Traditionally, Gresham Entertainment held an event known as Taboo (hands down, the best party for DC Carnival) on this day, but this year, for some reason they decided to DV8 from the norm and the result was a total disaster as far as the patrons were concerned.
To begin with, in order to attend the event, one was required to "reserve" tickets online. Now, just because you reserved tickets, did not mean that you were going to be allowed to purchase tickets. The people at Gresham Entertainment then selected who they would allow to buy tickets out of those who "reserved". The lucky few were sent a link via email to purchase tickets. Once purchased, patrons were not told where the event was being held. The Wednesday before the event, yes 2 days before the event, we were told where we were supposed to meet to be shuttled to the event. Nobody was sure where the event was being held, but we assumed that it was somewhere new due to the extreme secrecy surrounding the location of the venue.On the night of the event, we all met at the location specified to be shuttled over. Now, this would have worked fine had Gresham Entertainment hired enough shuttles for the number of patrons attending the event. However, in an obvious attempt to cut costs, they had very few shuttles and so patrons were made to wait over an hour to get a shuttle over to the party. Then, it turned out that the event was being held at the same location that Taboo was held in previous years, so the reason for the secrecy and the need to be shuttled made no sense to anyone. On top of this, where we were made to park and catch the shuttle was a 10 minute drive from the actual event, so if you got tired of waiting, walking was not even an option. Also, if you happened to forget something in your car, you might as well count it as a loss. When we finally made it over to the event, the crowd was small and grew slowly as the shuttle could only hold 32 people and so the party was filling up 32 people at a time.Next, we decided to go to the bar, because after waiting so long for a shuttle, we needed a drink. Now this event was touted as a premium all-inclusive event. Tickets were $55 and given the hoops we had to jump through just to make it there, one would assume that the event was going to be top-of -the line. Not so! The bar (yes, there was only one bar) that was supposed to be a fully-stocked premium bar only had Appleton rum, some kind of vodka, scotch, smirnoff, beck's and soda. Call me crazy, but this does not constitute a premium bar and definitely was not worth my $55.Then we went over to the food and again it was sheer disappointment. The food was dry and hard and had us all wondering why we spent our money on this. We still tried to enjoy ourselves, but when one of the speakers cut out, leaving us struggling to hear what was playing on the sound system, it seemed that the night was doomed.
We went back to the bar to attempt to get more drinks, only to find out that the bar was running out and we had to pay if we wanted to get drinks. So, after paying $55 to get into the alleged all-inclusive party, we were forced to bribe the bartenders for drinks. In all of my life I have never experienced anything like this. A little later, the bar ran out.
When it was time to leave, getting back to your car was another bacchanal. Again there weren't sufficient shuttles and so people who actually got a shuttle back were forced to drive back to the event and help shuttle their friends to their vehicles. Completely inconvenient! The party ended around 430am and two hours later, there were still people who had not made it back to their vehicle.
Overall, we were left feeling cheated by the promoters of this event. Previously, Gresham Entertainment was known for quality events. This year however, something was amiss. I don't know if it was that they tried to cut down on costs and cut down too much or if they simply felt like because they had such a good reputation that patrons would come regardless and so they didn't have to try too hard to please us. Having attended Gresham events for the past 6 years I was completely disappointed and disrespected by the way the night turned out. I expected that with the increase in price and the high secrecy surrounding the event, quality would increase. Instead it sunk to the lowest low.After the event, while everyone stood around waiting for a way to get back to their vehicle, it was clear that the general consensus was that everyone was discontent with the event and many vowed never to attend another Gresham event again. Honestly, I would have to be assured that many changes would be made next year to convince me to attend. First off, if they do attempt the shuttle service again, there should be a continuous flow of shuttles. People should not have to wait for the shuttle to drive a 20 minute trip to and from the event. A premium bar needs to be a premium bar with more variety and better quality alcohol. The bar should also last the duration of the event. The sound system needs to be better. You can't have a successful party if people cannot hear the music that is being played.This entire experience has left many with a bad taste in their mouth where Gresham Entertainment is concerned and I hope that the promoters take into consideration the opinions and suggestions of their patrons who have been supporting them for many many years.
Edited to Add:
Photos of the DV8 shuttle line from blogger, The Sweet 7:
This is the line in front of her:
And the line behind:
17 comments:
While some of what is said here is true, some of it is a bit misleading.
I cannot speak for Gresham, but I would imagine that the reason for the secrecy was to prevent people who don't read or follow instructions from showing up at the gate of the estate and causing the same traffic situation they usually do on the highway outside the Broadwater Estate. That was an untenable situation and I am certain the county was not going to allow that to continue. Even that many cars dropping people off on the side of the highway would have created an issue.
Many of us who have seen that traffic mess every year and know what this area is like were not mystified by the need to be shuttled at all. So, the reviewer is incorrect that it made no sense to anyone. In addition, I am not sure how the choice of shuttle could be making an obvious attempt to cut costs when the shuttles were an entirely new cost.
Yes, there was one bar, but it was one long straight bar with many bartenders and there was not a long wait for drinks. And given the layout, there really wasn't anywhere to put a separate bar.
The Vodka was Absolut and later, they were serving Ketel One. And it was Johnny Walker Scotch. If the reviewer has attended the event for six years, being served these brands (and the Appleton) shouldn't have come as a surprise. And when I was at Trinidad Carnival that was what was being called premium at a number of fetes. It should be noted that premium isn't top shelf.
As for the food, it was worse last year and the year before. At some late hour, I was quite surprised somebody came back from the food stations with coconut shrimp and other items hot off the bar-b. I was puzzled there was even food so late, because they usually run out and there is usually a bitch of a line to get it in the first place. Perhaps the reviewer chose to eat the buss up shut and curry, which might, indeed, be hard on the later side of the night.
The reviewer's timeline would appear to be off as the party ended at 4 and at 6:30 I was in my car driving on the highway and I was one of the last people to depart from the car park at the stadium. There were only a handful of cars left in the car park when I drove away. We were on probably the second to last shuttle out. There was no crowd waiting when we drove away from the estate.
The reality is that this fete has been going down for years because it gained the reputation as the fete to be in on Friday and drew too many people as a result. But, best is relative. Much of what took place this year (particularly with the bar) is the the same as last year and the year before. Except for the shuttle and the different area of the estate used, it WAS the norm for Taboo. (I wonder if the reviewer sent Gresham comments when the bar buss last year.)
Frankly, the fete has been under-priced in the past, in my opinion. If people want unlimited top shelf liquor and top shelf food and top shelf shuttles, they will have to pay more...and many people who want top shelf, don't want to pay.
So, I hope people who say never again keep their word, so they can focus on a better fete for a smaller group.
I totally agree with the writer of this letter. I have attended many all inclusives and hands down this was my WORSE experience. On a positive note, I appreciate the fact that Gresham tried to control the traffic situation but using shuttles, but it would have only been successful if they had shuttles waiting for us, not the opposite way around.
The "mystery" behind the location of the fete was a bit attractive to me, because I was looking forward to going somewhere new instead of the same ole place as Taboo, with all the hills and valleys yuh had to climb and trek to navigate through the party. Needless to say, my jaw dropped when I realize where the shuttle stopped....but then I said to myself well, maybe the set up inside is different...
Small ting, when I walked in and I saw the new set up, I was very pleased!! I loved the new dance floor concept, the lighting, the setup of the food tents and the high tables where I could eat and socialize. The bar area didn't bother me either..it was a long bar, no long waiting.
UMMM...to me, premium drinks means 1919, Rum Punch, Johnny Walker Blue, Grey Goose....when I asked for those things...they watched me like I was crazy...small ting again...I just settled for my Johnny and Ginger Ale. In previous years they had Trinidad Rum Punch so I don't know what happened this year with that...maybe they used that money to put gas in de shuttles...me ain know.
The food was absolutely disgusting. Macaroni and cheese?? Ugh..the buss up shut was decent but the curry was extremely salty and undercooked....steups....everything I attempted to eat went to the garbage. Is a good ting I cooked and ate before I went to the party.
Well, to get to the bathrooms...DE WORSE.......rain fell, plenty mud, not Gresham's fault, but I think they should know by now...not to put the bathrooms so far away from the party and in an area where you would have to trek through tons of mud in the event of rain.
The actual party itself was ok...I danced and limed and free up mehself...until the speaker box decided to buss....steups time to go home!
Pressha to catch de shuttle bus but thank God I had experience catching maxi (Trindad taxi) to go home from school...cuz it was the same madness! Push and rush, patrons sitting on each other, cuss and quarrel with frustrated passengers..yeap I had to deal with all of that.
I good to go...not me again padna. Gresham could be selective and cross my email off their list and not even bother to harrass me with no damn flyer or email...personally I think it was too much pretensive BS going on that they lost focus on the logistics of making the event as top notch and elite as it should have been.
I think the writer of this letter was pretty accurate. This is only the second time I've gone to this party but I can definitely say this year was a bust. KayaKitty you speak of premium drinks not being top shelf but the issue in my opinion was the fact that there was no drinks. Granted I didn't reach the party at 10pm when doors opened but they shouldn't be runnin out of all liquor at 2am.
I got to the carpark around 1215am to catch the shuttle and didn't reach the party until almost 2am. And, I only got there at 2am because we met a friend and was able to skip the line. The shuttle service was a good idea but 1. it shouldn't have been mandatory, 2. they should have been givin us food and drink while we wait lol and 3. the wait should have been 20min max not 2hours! We got to the party ready to get on bad, as our memories of last year convinced us this was the best DC carnival fete only to reach and have no drinks. The food was ok..the shrimp was fine, the buss up shot was ok and the curry was a bit salty but whatever I didn't come just to stand and eat anyways. Now the bar setup wasn't too bad but at 2am they had NO drinks and by no drinks I mean I walked away with a bacardi breezer mojito flavor and I dont drink them things. They said come back they re-stockin the bar..fine. Went back 15min later and in the distance I saw a bottle of johnny black (my preference), but when I got up to the bar they said no more johnnie and gave me appleton. Now how does Johnnie finish in 2min? Either they were bribing people and charging as the writer stated or they only had 1 bottle to share for hundreds. All in all..the fete was BAD...I enjoyed my time spent bc of who I was with (sisters and friends) but they need to re-think the whole thing and start again. I doubt I'll go again next year, bc I prob wont go to DC carnival at all so good luck to them.
Agreed! This year was a total bust. It's a shame because Taboo is always such a nice fete and so many people look forward to it...this has really changed my opinion of Gresham and I would hesitate to support them in the future.
Kayakitty, I hear you, but the normal traffic situation outside Broadwater estate to me is preferable to the hour and 1/2 wait for a shuttle....then arrive only to find that after an hour they are only serving beer? That is unacceptable.
In addition, getting home was a hellish mess. I can say that I did not get onto a shuttle until about 6am, which is crazy when I left the party to try and get on a shuttle before it ended around 3:30. A 3 hour wait time while being trampled upon is just poor management IMO. And when I looked up, the police were unwilling to control the crowd and there was not one member of Gresham to be found. Me and my friends had to walk from the party venue to the Broadwater estate entrance to catch a shuttle. Again, unacceptable.
Hi Saucy
I completely agree with everything that was said in the letter. For the last few years or so Taboo has been the party that I've looked forward to for DC Carnival, however this year was a complete and utter disappointment.
Kayakitty, the shuttle issue was a complete disaster for anyone reaching after 12am. Luckily, I made it to the parking lot to be shuttled over around 11:45pm but once inside the venue I kept getting phone calls from my friends who were stuck in the shuttle line for over an hr and a half! After paying $55 for a fete I would expect much better service than that. Yes, the shuttle service was a good idea BUT it was poorly executed. Gresham Entertainment clearly did not see the need to invest in an adequate number of shuttles.
The writer is also correct about the bar. The bar was indeed long and straight but there was an extremely long wait. I waited for more than 20mins at the bar trying to get a rum and coke which I only attained after waving a $5 tip in front of the bartender. And honestly maybe I need to research the premium bar concept because I was definitely expecting more than appleton and vodka.
All in all is was one of the worst fetes that I have ever been to in my life. I hope that Gresham Ent sees these comments and vows to make some serious changes for next year's event.
Grey Goose and Johnny Blue are TOP SHELF. Not premium. Two different things. And I say that as somebody who used to sell and serve drinks in both restaurant, nightclub, and hotel.
Also, the traffic before might be preferable to you, but perhaps it was not preferable to the community at large or the authorities and the people attempting to travel on that highway.
We like to feel all that is important is our partying, but there are other concerns for the people who are not partying down on that night.
To back that up, Rte 301 is a major route running North and South. Having Carnival events in Prince George's County is not a age-old ritual, so there are several hoops that promoters must jump through to make this happen. I can imagine that Gresham did the best they could as far as the transportation, but they severely underestimated what would be acceptable arrangements. The theory was a great one, but the the execution sounds like it was horrible. Driving along 301, you might not imagine that there are multi-million dollar homes tucked behind all those trees. Those residents definitely have a lot of say in what goes on in their neighborhood. I hope everyone that was disappointed in Gresham this year makes sure those promoters know exactly how they feel because that is definitely the only way they can make things better the next time around. All of your suggestions for improvement are very good ones, and if they are any type of good promoters, than they will heed your words.
Did anyone attend Xen on Saturday? I wonder how that fete compared to DV8.
I agree with some of the original posters points and some of KayaKittys points PARTICULARLY that this has been a party that has been going downhill for quite some time. When I saw that they had changed the name to DV8 I had hoped that they would keep it to the standards of the other fetes in this 'franchise' particulary DV8 Miami which I went to last year for Miami Carnival, paid LESS than for DV8 DC and came back lauding it as one of the BEST parties I had ever been to in the United States (fabulous venue, food, drinks...who can forget the guava wine). It was most disappointing that Gresham has now ruined the DV8 name with this party which I came back from saying that it was one of the WORST I had ever been to in my LIFE.
I do also agree with the necessity of the shuttles, but I think the point of the original letter writer was that obviously corners were cut somewhere! There were sooo mannyyy ppl at this party (I am terrible at estimating numbers so I won't even try...suffice to say it was a LOT)! You, however, KNOW how many tickets you sold (out)! You dont have to estimate anything! Many more shuttles, many more speakers and many more drinks were needed in order to satisfy this number of people. Where did all the excess go? Into somebody's pocket obviously! It's shameful how greed can ruin a good party every time.....
TOP SHELF...BOTTOM SHELF...PREMIUM...bottom line de drinks line up was de flippin WORSE!! if dey want serve appelton and johnny...let it be a $35.00 all inclusive!
Agree with most comments. Taboo will not be seeing me EVER again. It was the worst experience EVER. The thing that pissed me off is that I got dropped off at the parking lot, only to have to wait in line for over an hour...ride on the shuttle for 20mins, come to find we were going to the exact same location as last year!! I could easily have just had my friend drop me off at the party!!! But of course that wouldn't work, because there was no one at the gate to give out wristbands. Why not give people the OPTION of being dropped off, or taking a shuttle?! That surely would have cut down on the number of people that needed to be transported. It was a logistical NIGHTMARE.
So I get into d fete, ready to unwind...can't hear the music...drinks done, food disgusting, feet muddy...But even still i tried to enjoy myself...but then I wondered if there was an Exit Strategy...and knew that if I didn't leave soon, I would be stuck there well into the morning. So I left the party after an hour (took me 2 hours to get there) and saw that plenty people had the same idea and were trying to beat the rush. I was nearly trampled, elbowed in the face, cussed at, just trying to get onto the shuttle. It was absolutely appalling and inexcusable. I nearly cried, I was so upset. Seems Gresham was only concerned with getting people to the party and not concerned with getting people home. Should I have to literally fight my way to get on a bus to go home, after paying $55 for an all-inclusive experience??! But with all those police/security not one of them moved! At one point the bus got stuck in teh mud, everyone had to get off the buss and I had to go through the whole ordeal all over again. It was very degrading.I am through with them.
I completely agree with the review of this party. I was disappointed as this was the party that I was looking forward to. I'm not asking for Grey Goose and Johnny Blue, but I expect more than rum, vodka and scotch. Malibu is not a premium drink and I was upset that was not served. As a female who drinks "girl drinks", there was nothing for me. Even a little Heneiken woulda been nice.
I also think the shuttle idea should have been better executed. I agree the traffic in past years was bad, but it was even worse having to stand in a line and wait on a shuttle. If I had to choose between being in traffic in the comfort of my car for an hour or standing waiting for a shuttle for an hour, I rather sit in my car!
The point is, that party and the experience was NOT worth my $55.
For the person who asked how Xen was, I went and I thought it was a blast. I had a great time. They had an indoor section with reggae and dancehall and an outdoor section with soca. This party was thrown by Basement Knockerz and I think it was well done. In that case, I got more than my $20 worth and would definitely be going again next year.
I have one more complaint about Gresham Entertainment. The whole "reserving tickets" method was very misleading. A lot of people that I know came from out of town thinking that because they "reserved tickets" for Indigo (Gresham's breakfast party on the Sunday) that they would be able to attend. When they got here, they found out that just because you "reserved tickets" does not mean that you would be allowed to buy tickets. This seems contradictory to me. Apparently, the tickets went on sale and only those who were allowed to buy knew. Everyone else was still waiting to buy. Now I completely understand that the venue is small and only a certain number of tickets could be sold, but I think it would have been good customer service for them to simply send out an email to the tone of "we regret to inform that due to overwhelming demand, tickets have been sold out and we thank you for your continued support and patronage". I actually felt bad to see the shock and confusion when I told people that I already had my ticket and they thought they just had to go and pay at the door.
I won't be going back to DV8/Taboo again unless some major changes are made and quality of the event in restored.
I think my point was the comment was that it was premium. But, that is what premium is. And if Absolut and Appleton is WORSE, you mustn't have been there the last few years when it wasn't even name brand vodka and I think Mt. Gay Eclipse.
If you feel the slight incline was a problem, you must not have been walking that steep ass hill the last few years.
My point is...with the exception of the shuttle, there wasn't much that was different...maybe not as many people. So, I'm confused about where all these high expectations came from. Allyuh must have went to a different party than I did these last few years. I wish I had experienced that one.
Crowd control last year was a damn prison gate at the entrance and a long line of people, so I didn't have a pile of high expectations.
I went early and prepared myself for the possibility of what was to come. Hence, what I got what was OK in comparison to what I might have gotten.
Is KayaKitty employed by Gresham ???? The party was SHIT.... drinks SHIT, shuttle service SHIT, music SHIT... Ppl pay $55 and you giving one set of excuses....If it was shit admit it... it was damn ShIT... next year I going Club LoVe or Flag party less shit !
I did not go to DV8 this year. After the TERRIBLE time I had at Taboo last year, I vowed that Gresham would never get my money again! In prior years this was one of the best parties of the year. But last year, the crowd had drastically changed (can you say RUFF and young?). The drinks were crappier and the food awful. If the vibes were there with the crowd at least I would've made the best but it was just a disaster.
I didn't think it was possible but it sounds like this year was even worse. I hope all you people complaining actually MEAN what you say and stop patronizing these promoters that don't give a $h!t about you! To often we West Indians become complacent and too desperate for a lime. Complaining is just whining if there is no action behind it.
Kayakitty is not employed by Grehsam. I barely know Gresham from a vagrant in the street.
I have only disputed the specific things that I thought were factually incorrect. If it wasn't incorrect, I didn't dispute it. Read back and perhaps you will understand my position more clearly. I think I have been fairly articulate, but I am happy to explain anything that you don't comprehend.
One of the great things about being objective and rational is that you can look at ALLLLLL the FACTS and not just the ones that make you feel right.
I don't have to ADMIT a thing if I don't think it. (WHO IS YOU??) My opinion is MY opinion and I won't restate it.
The fact is the party was going down before and somehow people never noticed it. Somehow they drank no name alcohol and didn't notice it. The bar buss and they didn't notice it. They stumbled down a steep hill into a muddy valley all those years and didn't notice it. They ate cold, crappy food (IF they got food at all) and didn't notice it.
All of a sudden, Absolut, and Johnny, and Appleton aren't good enough, the area without the steep hill is a horrible terrain to have to climb, and the hot shrimp at 2:00 is a travesty.
As I said before, I wasn't disappointed because I came early and got on that shuttle so I could get my money's worth before ting run out. BECAUSE I ALREADY KNEW THE BAR AND FOOD MIGHT BE A FACTOR.
If you have been to this fete for years, you should know that. If you don't, you haven't been paying attention.
And if allyuh think is only $35 to put on an all inclusive fete, you haven't factored the price of liquor versus the numbers of people in an all you can drink and eat scenario.
It is simple addition and multiplication. Maybe if we weren't so concerned with paying less, we would actually get higher product that wouldn't run out.
As a newcomer to D.C Carnival fetes ... I just have to mention TRIBE IGNITE, the night before:
$20 Entrance Fee
$50 JW Blacks (I had like 5 - $10 per drink)
$10 Parking (without the worry of getting towed!)
TOTAL: $80
Certainly, more shuttles were needed for DV8. The 2 security checks were a bit silly (before boarding and upon arrival at the venue! As they hunted for lighters.)
The bar ... did you tip your bartender? Did you go to the same bartender every time? My friends and I did and all through out the night, we got exactly what we wanted to drink, JW and chasers of choice!
The food ... I ate Coconut shrimp and crab cakes! It was good to me!
The music did suck. The DJ just was not flowing. The music just did not sound right. The so called dance floor was a muddy mess.
The bathrooms were in the distance. By the end of the night when I got to them ... the walk over to them was a muddy mess, and I was more concerned about taking it slow so I would not bust my behind. Ended up with some real' muddy toes.
As for the shuttle back ... my group and I were stragglers. Once we got to the top of the hill. We noticed a huge crowd at 5AM, waiting for shuttles. So my hubby decided, if at least he could get on a shuttle he would come pick the rest of us up!
Next thing, I see him jump on hanging to the side mirror of the shuttle, next all I see is my girl-friend running down the hill in her orange dress to catch the shuttle. ... Then her friend following, then I decided time to run! LOL!
We were one of the last cars with about 5 other cars in the parking lot. And all these people with cars still in the parking lot were on my shuttle. So God only knows how other the people we left behind got home! By the time we drove off, sun was up.
With good company, etc. Next year ... I'm just going plenty early. LOL!
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