South Lake Tahoe playfields protected by mats prior to arrival of SnowGlobe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - In less than one week thousands of electronic dance music and festival fans will flock to South Lake Tahoe for th eighth annual SnowGlobe Music Festival which runs December 29-31.

Before anything started to be assembled at the Community Playfields on Al Tahoe Blvd., which are home to SnowGlobe, three different types of mats went onto the field surface to protect it from damage, almost 240,000 square feet total. In 2017 the new fields suffered major damange before local youth ever got a chance to play on them, something SnowGlobe organizers repaired.

The mats are all different, depending on where they'll be placed (on heavy traffic and dance areas, seldom used spots or casual walking locations). Heavy moving equipment can even operate on top of the heavy traffic mats.

"Covering the entire surface is very expensive," said Chad Donnelly, CEO of SnowGlobe Music Festival. He said they are spending "six figures" on the mats and their installation. He also put up a $250,000 performance bond again this year in case of any unforeseen damage.

Another "six figures" are being spent on sound mitigation to address noise concerns of the No Globe Alliance and other area residents not fond of the dance music for three days each winter. Marcus Ross, owner of Crestfactor in Las Vegas, was hired to create "smart sound" to keep it contained to the festival venue as much as possible. Ross gets to work on December 27th.

On November 12, 2018, MTV announced their acquisition of SnowGlobe Music Festival and the internationally known brand will host the "MTV Lodge" at the venue. The new tent will feature a bar with a "nice area to get warm and relax," said Donnelly, who became a new vice president with MTV after the merger.

The lodge isn't going to be the only new thing at the event.

"There are going to be some surprises," Donnelly said.

There will also be new security measures taken to ensure crowd safety.

We have modified strategies with specialists on both the perimeter and interior - it's a very well thought out strategy," said Donnelly.

For more information on SnowGlobe and ticket sales, visit http://snowglobemusicfestival.com.

- South Tahoe Now Staff Report