Get Ready to Have Fun & Be Safe at Bonnaroo and 2016 Summer Music Festivals

It is that time of year again. The summer music festivals are fast approaching and in the middle Tennessee area we are all looking forward to the hordes of people who descend on our area to have fun, spend time with friends and enjoy good music in the summer sunshine. We hope that everyone who comes to these big festivals enjoys themselves in a safe, law-abiding manner, we know that there will always be those few who thwart the rules and run afoul of the law. Every season there are arrests for DUI and drug possession on the way to the festivals and in the local areas around the festivals. We are here as experienced criminal defense attorneys who have helped many festival goers who found themselves in a tight spot with some common sense advice for those who want to come and enjoy themselves without leaving town with a rap sheet.

• Bonnaroo. This is the 15th anniversary year of the Bonnaroo Music Festival that takes over the village of Manchester, Tennessee between June 9th and 12th. With the theme of “15 Years of Magic,” this year’s line-up has lots of headliners like Pearl Jam, Ellie Goulding and Judd Apatow & Friends to crowd favorites like Clutch, The Floozies and Civil Twilight.
• The CMA Music Festival in Nashville will also be held on June 9th thru the 12th with an impressive line-up of performers, and lots of free events and activities.
• Burning Man, which will take place on August 28th through September 5th in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, is unlike any festival anywhere. It is a gathering in the desert dedicated to art and creating community according to the description on its website.
• SXSW is an interactive film, music and technology festival in Austin, Texas from March 11th to the 20th with segments for interactive, then film and then wrapping up with a music festival.

Our basic advice is this: Show up and have a good time, but be aware that this is open season for law enforcement who are looking to bust festival goers for drugs and alcohol.

• Do not drink and drive. You will get stopped by the local law enforcement and you will face the consequences. Be smart and have a designated driver, camp on the premises, call a cab or an Uber, or book a room close by the festival venue.
• Do not buy alcohol for minors. The fine for providing alcohol to a minor you could face serious fines, criminal prosecution and your license could get revoked leaving you with a criminal record.
• Do not buy or sell drugs on or near festival grounds. Possession of marijuana carries stiff penalties in Tennessee. Just half an ounce is a Class A misdemeanor, which carries a possible 11 month, 29 day jail sentence, fines and court fees. If you already have two or more previous convictions, your third could be enhanced to a felony charge.

We welcome you to Tennessee to enjoy the festivals and have fun hanging out with your friends and meeting a few new ones. If our advice came too late and you find yourself having been charged with a DUI or you received a summons from Coffee County, we are ready to help. Our aggressive criminal defense team will protect your rights and we will make sure that your future is not ruined just because of a momentary lapse in judgement.

You are welcome to contact the Law Offices of Adrian H. Altshuler & Associates for an aggressive Columbia or Franklin DUI, or drug charges defense attorney today.