The signs are pointing towards this being the last summer for Jelly’s Pool Parties. It’s expensive to produce (~$500,000), takes too much time & effort, they’re not making any more money, and they’re no longer a monogamist beast — Jelly’s been refocusing efforts on the smaller and more DIY events they used to know and love (see Rock Yard).
But while Jelly’s profile in the community has risen along with the popularity of the concerts, they haven’t made more money. And Hooper says the process of booking and producing the free concerts has become more difficult. The move to East River State Park meant a doubling of the fees Jelly pays to rent the site, along with the loss of revenue from beer sales and increased security demands. “It’s been a tough year for everyone,” Hooper says. “This summer has been about digging ourselves out of the hole of last year’s Pool Parties.”
Then, there’s this quote, also from Sarah Hooper, a Jelly co-founder, given recently to NPR’s The Record: “I kind of hate the Pool Parties now. They make us all really sad when we go on site. And then I go to a Mad Decent block party or our things at Rock Yard, and it’s exactly how it used to be.”
Come to think of it, I get kinda sad too. The beer drinkers are locked in an alternate concert experience, the stage backdrop is all condos, and the magic is just…gone.
What do you think…is this it? Would you be happy to see Jelly let the Pool Parties die and re-focus on the Rock Yard and/or Mad Decent collaborations? Crystal Ball of the Internet! What does our future hold?!
