Here's the reason Druh has nobody but herself to blame for the bad response: There has been absolutely nothing released that would cause anyone to get excited about this festival. If there was a really great festival concept behind it, then I think she'd get a lot of support. But pretty much the only thing I've heard is that there's going to be walking along the street, and possibly mass yoga and tai chi events; probably we'll get the same food and vendors that are at every other festival in the city. Add to it that you cannot actually even see the river from most of this stretch of Memorial because of a high flood embankment. Even if you're walking along the embankment there's a false island that makes it impossible to actually access the river for a good portion of this distance; it's not like it's a particularly scenic stretch when viewed from road level.
I live about a half block away, and while I have no complaints about the traffic access, there are no details released thus far that would inspire me to leave the comfort of my back yard and head down the block. Personally, I love the idea of a river festival, but at this point it's such a half-baked idea. Come up with a concept that will excite Calgarians (and a location where you can maybe see the river?) and you'll get the support you need for road closures.
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