2016 Archive : The One with all the Pilgrims

Project Details

Fabric 1

Précontraint 702 Formula S
Producer: Ferrari S.A.

Fabric 2

OTHER
Producer: OTHER

Project Manager Name
Matt Hixson

Project Manager Company
Mahaffey Fabric Structures

Please describe the project specifications

We were contacted in the fall of 2015 to install a total of (8) Clearspan fabric structures to house the first ever Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Arts Festival and debut of a long anticipated multipurpose horse arena at the event space and City’s park. This one-of-a-kind project, which took place in Franklin, Tennessee, was all about creating a family-friendly event space and fun-filled festival with a look and overall aesthetic similar to that of Harlinsdale Farm, a historic Tennessee walking horse farm turned City Park. So what did Mahaffey Fabric Structures do? We met their needs by providing multiple Clearspan fabric structures that were unquestionably distinctive – both inside and out, complete with mobile staging areas which allowed VIP patrons to stand within feet of their favorite artists and musicians.
Midnight Sun Stage
(1) 100 x 66 x 20 MegaStructure
a. Custom Gable
Gold Record Stage
(1) 100 x 66 x 20 MegaStructure
a. Custom Gable
Harpeth River Stage
(1) 66 x 50 x 20 MegaStructure
a. Custom Gable
Little Pilgrim Stage
(1) 33 x 33 x 16 Clearspan
a. Custom Gable
FOH
(2) 20 x 20 White Frame Tent
(2) 16 x 16 White Frame Tent
(10) Custom Steel Leg Extensions
TOTAL = 18,901 sq. ft.

What was the purpose of this project? What did the client request?

The purpose of this project was to create a unique stage structure that is unique for the festival business, and a family friendly festival to benefit The Pilgrimage Foundation. The customer requested that we build an architecturally interesting stage with a freespan tent that could be adorned with materials to render it into the fashion of the building stock at Harlinsdale and Franklin Harlinsdale Farm – a 230-acre farm. In this case, it’s large horse barns and working barns to create the architectural vernacular of Williamson County, and in particular, Franklin Harlinsdale Farm. The client wanted a mobile staging area and custom structure for the main stage that would allow VIP patrons to stand within feet of their favorite artists and musicians. The client also requested that custom gables and uprights be fit for the two main stages and custom graphics be put onto scrim and vinyl of each structure gable-end.

What is unique or complex about the project?

This particular project presented a few challenges for the crew. The customer, and festival creators, wanted to take cues from New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival a.k.a. Jazz Fest and Mahaffey covered festival, by creating a custom structure aesthetic and design with unique staging capabilities. Unfortunately, there was no easy way to create such a structure on the unleveled terrain that was located at the site. In order to make the structure fit perfectly in the open area, Mahaffey installation crews, project management, and engineering teams had to work together to create custom jack plates (or leg extensions) that would elevate a four-foot change in elevation from corner to corner of the 100-foot wide structure. Additionally, with the customer’s request in mind for custom graphics and non-modular staging systems, the crew not only had to cut gables and uprights way down to fit the structure, which resulted in 20 feet long (or 6 meter) uprights custom fit for the two main stages, but they also had to put custom graphics onto scrim and vinyl of each gable-end. Ultimately, thanks to thorough planning and effective communication, the crew was able to successfully set up both tents with no major setbacks.

What were the results of the project?

Franklin’s inaugural Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival was a tremendous success, drawing crowds of nearly 11,000 people each day, and for the most part, a problem free event, the customer being exceedingly pleased with the finished product – a multitude of tents and non-modular staging systems created with the look of an edifice. Production wise, these tents gave the customer much more room to operate, to transition from artists to artist, to entertain festival guests and to dress up stylistically way more than a typical stage – whether it is a built stage or a mobile stage. The tents and staging had no trouble fitting, and accommodating to, attendees and VIP guests. With forward thinking, dedication and creativity, attendees were able to listen to lineups of some of the best musicians in the music industry and watch as fan-favorited bands jammed out all night long, under multiple strong, appealing structures.

The tents were so well received that the customer has raved about our results in the following testimonial, “The tents and the stage platforms built gave the customer incredible flexibility to realize the dream of the very unique stage format for a very unique, refined boutique festival.”

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