We spoke with the founder of the alternative social media sensation VampireFreaks’ Jet Berelson about the latest and most excellent festival from VF– Dark Force Fest.
Is Dark Force Fest the spiritual sequel or a reboot of Dark Side of the Con?
Dark Force Fest basically takes the best parts of Dark Side of the Con, making it bigger and really focusing on the music, with a bigger band lineup and with the addition of a second band room. It is at the same venue as the last Dark Side of the Con which we all love. So far the reception on Dark Force Fest has been fantastic, our ticket sales are going faster than any previous event and we are so grateful.
The line-up is already enviable! But, who would you want to play that you can’t have? (For any reason.)
Thanks! For our 2023 lineup I am really looking forward to seeing some hot bands I have never seen before. Including Rabbit Junk, Vision Video, Actors, Solar Fake and Empathy Test. HEALTH is also a personal favorite, I saw them in NYC a few months ago in Irving Plaza and the crowd went absolutely wild.
In terms of a personal wish-list of who I wish could perform, I would have to say The Cure would be an absolute dream. They are my favorite band and I know they are way too big for such an event, since they sell out huge stadiums, but they will always hold a special place in my heart.
What is your vision for the three day festival? If it was all just a dream how did it go?
Now that I have done a few of these similar events, I pretty much know what to expect. After a year of planning the event finally shows up and the three days go by in a blur. After the third day I am often left saying to myself: did that really just happen? It is just a lot of stuff going on at once. We have five different areas of events. Between live bands, performances, panels / presentations and meet & greets.
“We are definitely all about fostering a positive and inclusive environment.”
In terms of vision, we are really just working to create a great experience where people can forget about their worries for three days. And, just be in an immersive environment full of amazing music, vendors, performers and alternative people of all genres.
I am really looking forward to seeing the bands and the sense of community we have at these events. Everyone is having a great time with a big smile on their face. It becomes this magical experience of like-minded people having the time of their lives.
What accommodations does Sheraton Parsippany venue have for disabled people?
The Sheraton Parsippany is amazing! It is very handicap friendly and the venue has ramps and hotel rooms specifically designed for wheelchairs and handicap access. It literally looks like a big castle and we take over the entire building including all of the hotel rooms. We are definitely all about fostering a positive and inclusive environment.
You’ve got a ton of XP behind you. Do these large scale events get any easier through time?
I have been around the block! It does get easier through time to be honest. I think like with most other things, you just build it up over time and learn more each time. While this is our first Dark Force Fest, we have done similar events and we already have all the infrastructure in place to do events of this size, which is great. We are lucky to have a strong support network of people who love our events that we can count on for staff and networking, and for anything we need help with.
You can find more info about Dark Force Fest at the following link: https://darkforcefest.com/
