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BEHIND THE 515O' FESTIVAL
With Wayne Stewart of Visit Casper
This month we sat down with Wayne Stewart, Marketing Director at Visit Casper, to gain insight into how events like 5150' Festival sustain and promote growth and livability in Casper. Learn
more about this beloved tradition and how it has a greater impact below. & don't miss the 5150' Festival in Downtown Casper at David Street Station August 19th 2:00pm - 10:00pm.
Q: What is the 5150’ Festival?
"The 5150’ Festival is an event that we created to celebrate our one-of-a-kind community. It’s an event created by people who love the 5150’ for people who love the 5150’. We fill David Street Station with Casper-based creators, makers and vendors and invite community members to join us for an entire afternoon of live music, delicious food from a variety of our best food trucks, and brews from our local microbreweries. The live music is always high quality and features an entertaining line up starting at 2pm and finishing around 9:30pm."
Q: Why is the late summer event so special to the Casper community?
"In 2017 the eclipse brought thousands of people to Casper and the downtown festival was so electrifying that it motivated us to create an event that brought that contagious type of energy every year. It allows us locals to soak in our unique downtown atmosphere (and to just take a moment to celebrate everything that this amazing place has to offer). We often find ourselves complaining about the wind, snow, or road construction that we forget what makes this place so special. But when you experience live music at David Street Station on a summer night amongst hundreds of prideful locals, it helps you realize that the greatest thing about this place is the community. It’s truly unmatched."
Q: How does the 5150" Festival have a greater impact on the livability, growth & spirit of Casper?
"When an event like 5150’ Festival takes place, it brings out the best of the community and everyone in it. It showcases our best traits and is an example of what life in Casper can be like outside of the typical day to day grind. After the event, people realize that they don’t need the 5150’ Festival to enjoy a night downtown. David Street Station puts events on all summer long, our food trucks can be found all over Casper on any given day, local vendors often take part in popup events year-round and our breweries will always welcome you with your favorite craft brew. The festival itself is simply just a way to build community pride, and once that happens, Casper becomes a place known for how much the locals love it."
Q: How do events like this help support Visit Casper's mission in Wyoming tourism & beyond?
"Although the festival was created with locals in mind, the entertainment, food, delicious beer and unique local vendors have helped make it an event that draws visitors in from all over the state and region. Exposing visitors to Casper will always be goal #1 for us. But we know that if we can get them here, they’ll leave wanting to experience more of what Wyoming has to offer, and we are more than ok with that. So at the end of the day, well-orchestrated annual events that show growth year over year, such as the 5150’ Festival, will be a solid anchor in our long-term planning to increase tourism to Casper, and, in hand, increase tourism to all of Wyoming."
Q: What do you value most about being a member of Advance Casper?
"The collaboration between our two offices will always be what we value most about being an Advance Casper member. Being able to play a small role in the overall goal of Advance Casper is an honor as we are well aware of the impact your work does in the community. Continually working to create a diversified economy will always be one of the most important roles within a society as it ensures long term success and provides security to all our residents. As a member, we get to call ourselves your teammate in that mission, and it’s one of our favorite titles!"
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