You are invited: Modern Times Festival of Dankness
In nine days, the inaugural Modern Times Festival of Dankness will make its appearance on the County Waterfront Park.
First off, if you haven’t already, you should get your tickets since all the various city, county, and public safety officials have very sternly warned me that they will be monitoring the event to make sure that everyone present has a ticket to be there. In other words, no gate-crashers will be allowed and this event is going to sell out.
Second, BikeSD is very fortunate to be the charity that will receive the profits from the event. As stated on the event page:
All profits from the Festival of Dankness will benefit BikeSD, an independent member-supported non-profit advocacy organization. BikeSD is dedicated to making San Diego a world-class bicycling city while creating a more livable urban community by promoting everyday riding and advocating for bicycling infrastructure. By 2020, BikeSD’s goal is to make San Diego one of the top 15 best cities for bicycling in the world.
An ambitious goal, but very attainable since the variables required to make that vision a reality are finite and accessible. But we can’t aim high with limited financial capacity and this festival is giving us a boost to make that vision a reality. I also can’t imagine a better way to celebrate the good life that is San Diego than by partaking in some of the most kickass offerings by the best breweries in the region and beyond at the Modern Times Festival of Dankness.
Sometimes when I survey the events happening around me in the city, it can be a little challenging to stay positive. My internal monologue is usually a repetition of, “Dear god! Another parking garage?!? Another freeway widening? People claiming to be pro-bike and yet opposing bike infrastructure? When will this madness end???”. But looking back to 2012, when we first launched as an organization, and seeing how far things have changed, it’s hard not to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Before BikeSD existed, the notion of bike infrastructure on our neighborhood streets seemed almost like a pipe dream.
But, it is not just about the bicycle or even just bicycle infrastructure (even though that is part of our core mission). It’s more about how the bicycle serves as a very useful tool in connecting communities and bringing people together in a way that nothing else can. And the bicycle also happens to be the best way to truly experience, in a very visceral way, all the beauty that comes from living in a city. While I hope to see you at the Festival of Dankness, I also hope that you show up to meet other people who care about making San Diego a truly world-class city. Because it’s only when we connect as a community that great things happen.