Carolina Country Music Fest to be cash-free event

A simple swipe of the wrist will give Carolina Country Music Fest attendees entry to the music festival and the ability to buy food, drinks and souvenirs.

Concert goers will use wristband technology during the Carolina Country Music Fest being held June 4 to 7 on the former Myrtle Beach Pavilion site to not only speed up entry, but cut down on long concession lines.

“This is new technology for the retail and festival business,” said Bob Durkin, president of Full House Productions, which is organizing the event. “A lot of retail is going cashless. For festivals, there’s an advantage as well.”

Attendees of Carolina Country Music Fest – featuring 35 acts including headliners Rascal Flatts, Eric Church and Lady Antebellum – will swipe the wristbands at the festival entrance and at all vendors inside throughout the weekend to make the event cash-free.

Festival goers will have the opportunity to either load their check or credit card information onto the wristband, manufactured by Intellitix, ahead of time or can load them at stations at the festival.

Attendees who purchased tickets before May 15 will get the wristbands mailed to them ahead of time. Other concert goers will bring printed confirmation to Ground Zero to pick up their bands.

“Other than if you plan to drink alcoholic beverages and need a driver’s license, all you’ll need is the wristband,” Durkin said, adding that this is the first time the event company has used the technology.

Myrtle Beach police Lt. Joey Crosby said what he’s heard about the wristbands make him believe they will add a level of security to the festival, which organizers expect to draw at least 10,000 people each day.

“It will eliminate the opportunity for lost property, as far as credit cards or cash being stolen,” he said. “It will also help to get the crowd into the venue quicker.”

Durkin said that festival goers simply need to wave their wristband at the entry portal, which will give a green light, to enter the festival. There will be security there to make sure that the bands are being scanned properly.

When attendees want to purchase food or a souvenir T-shirt, they will wave their wrist by a monitor at the vendor, the vendor will ring up the purchase, then the attendee will wave their wristband again to complete the transaction.

“Concessions will go a lot faster with this,” Durkin said.

Durkin said he understands that some people won’t feel comfortable loading their credit card information onto the wristband.

“I know that there are people out there who are cynical about this type of technology – I am one of them,” he said, adding that the technology – used at festivals such as Bonaroo and Coachella – is safe. “If you want to go to your bank, take out money and bring it to the festival, all you have to do is pick up your wristband and then use one of the machines to load money onto your band.”

Unused money will be returned to the card that was used at the end of the festival. Those who use cash can either cash out their wristband at the festival or contact Full House and be mailed a check.

The festival will begin June 4 with a kick-off concert featuring Sam Hunt. The main event begins at noon Friday, with daily performances through 11:30 p.m. Sunday.

This story was originally published May 23, 2015 at 11:44 AM with the headline "Carolina Country Music Fest to be cash-free event."