Town Gears Up For 'Escape 2 New York'

The East End’s population will swell this weekend as thousands of visitors flock to a three-day music and arts festival on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation.

In anticipation of as many as 5,000 concertgoers each day, Southampton Town officials and several police agencies have braced for the large influx by enacting parking restrictions and stationing police officers at locations around the event.

Marketed on its website as “Your three-day party like no other,” the festival, called “Escape to New York,” will feature prominent musical acts: Patti Smith, Of Montreal, The Psychadelic Furs and 17 others. Along with the music, the event planners have boasted of unique vendors and art installations that will be on display, coupled with a high-end culinary experience. The event will occur on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation powwow grounds.

Also, as part of the event, some people will be “glamping,” a form of upscale camping, at campsites located at the Southampton Elks Lodge on County Road 39 in Southampton and at Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton, as well as on the festival grounds. The high-end camps are equipped with amenities like electricity and furniture, said Dennis Stephens, the head of security at the Southampton Elks Lodge campsite. “When they’re done up, they’re really spectacular,” he said.

In total, the event will accommodate 150 campsites, he said, and of that, 50 are high-end tents. Shuttles will bring campers back and forth to the concert site on the reservation, and also shuttle people from Hampton Jitney and Long Island Rail Road stops. Stony Brook Southampton is serving as a site for daily ticket-holders to obtain credentials to park on the reservation.

Mr. Stephens said he doesn’t expect much of a ruckus. “For this type of event, these are high-end clientele,” Mr. Stephens said, noting that most of the campers at his site are from England, where the festival originated. “This is probably going to be a very sedate crowd. We’re not expecting a Bonnaroo or something like that,” he added, referring to a major annual rock festival in Tennessee.

The event is being produced by Fred Fellowes, a Briton who has organized the annual “Secret Garden Party” musical event in the United Kingdom since 2004. He is producing “Escape to New York” with his friend Rocco Gardener.

Two Southampton Town Police officers have been assigned to the camping areas during the evening hours from August 3 to 7, and police and traffic control officers will be also assigned to County Road 39 at the intersections with Tuckahoe Lane and Tuckahoe Road during the evening concert hours this weekend, according to a Town Board resolution approved on July 26. One sergeant has also been assigned to monitor road and crowd conditions. The total police department costs, according to the resolution, are estimated to be $15,959, and will be paid by the concert organizers.

The Town Board also authorized 12 parking restrictions that take effect on August 5, 6 and 7. “No parking” signs will be placed on the following sections of roads this weekend: Montauk Highway from Tuckahoe Lane west to Petrel Lane, Tuckahoe Road from County Road 39 south to Montauk Highway, Tuckahoe Lane from County Road 39 south to Montauk Highway, and Little Neck Road from Montauk Highway south to Middle Pond Lane. The following roads will have parking prohibited entirely: Landing Lane, Old Fort Lane, Rebadam Lane, Powers Drive, Magee Drive, Dellaria Avenue, Gegan Drive and Scotch Mist Lane.

New York State Police Sergeant Paul Slevinski said four traffic intersections along Montauk Highway will be monitored by four State Troopers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the evening hours. If incidents occur on the reservation, the State Police will respond, he said, although he noted that the tribe’s own security will be monitoring the event.

“Tribal security is going to be there in full force,” Sgt. Slevinski said. “And they’ll call us as necessary, if needed.”

Chuck Randall, a co-chair of the Shinnecock Indian Nation’s economic development committee, said that there will be security-related parameters in place, and that the festival will be a “family-friendly event.” He said he has heard that somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 will be attending each day, based on ticket sales.

Ladies and men of the Shinnecock Indian Nation will be putting on a fashion show on Saturday at 5:30 p.m., according to Dyani Brown, co-chair of the economic development committee. The show will also feature Sho Sho Esquiro, an internationally acclaimed Native American fashion designer from Canada, who will unveil her latest work on the festival’s main stage, according to a press release authored by Ms. Brown.