Festival season is no joke, and the work that is required to put one on is not as well. A few weeks back The Gumbo headed out to the 1800 Safe Sexxx festival in Philly, a day filled with music, art, fashion and food by some of the tri-state area’s most talented DJs, artists, brands and dancers. We talked to Selekta XXX about coordinating this year’s event, what the city of Philadelphia offers that no other place does, the importance of patience and planning and more.
The Gumbo: We’re a few days out of the 1800 Safe Sexxx festival! How are you feeling about hosting yet another successful event?
Selekta XXX: Whew 😅 it’s definitely some weight lifted off of me (Pressure) 😂😂 But overall I am extremely happy with the outcome. The most important thing to me about the festival is that the purpose of it is actually alive.
What were your favorite moments from this year’s festival?
Some of my favorite moments were of the brands that vended and the attendees. The vendors really showcased the experience of their brand versus selling something. My motto is “I want to buy something I can feel without touch” and they did that. That made me proud.
The attendees were very stylish and showed up with an open mind. They were free, fun, creative and most of all they left with some type of connection to work with others in the future. Those are very valuable moments for me!
A lot of people don’t understand the work that goes into putting on something like this. Talk to me a bit about the process of producing a festival.
The process involves a lot of patience, FAITH, a strong team that believes in the purpose and want to see things through as passionately as you do. It sounds easy but it isn’t.
That’s why I said patience is first because it takes time to find the right people that align with your vision.
Planning is most important but your Plan “A” will definitely include the rest of the alphabet when things don’t work according to your first plan. And when this does happen you have to be quick on your toes with Solutions because there isn’t any time for excuses.
There’s something so special about the community in Philly when it comes to nightlife, events and fellowship. In your words, what does Philly offer that no other city does?
Philly is a gem. What I love about our city is that it is constantly growing creatively and giving our community things to do and learn. Philly has so many dope places such as Art galleries, restaurants, Pop-Up experiences etc that I still have to visit myself and I live here lol. We’re also so much more than our cheesesteaks LOL. If you haven’t already you must experience Philadelphia at least 3 times in your life, it’s a beautiful city with beautiful people in it.
What can attendees expect from the next one?
Next year we’re gonna turn the experience up a notch. I don’t want to leak anything BUT we’re going to keep climbing up the ladder to give the best possible experience we can give to the people! Stay tuned!
