07/13/2026
As we close out FunFest 2026 we want to celebrate the wonderful talent, volunteers and exciting activities that made it all happen - but first we want to address an incident that occurred at the FunFest outdoor dance on Saturday night.
Sometime around 11pm our organizers became aware that security had the idea that our entrance gate was closing and were attempting to turn away some of our guests. This misinformation was corrected and security was instructed to continue accepting entrance to the dance for the remainder of the evening. One of our volunteers remained posted at the entrance, accepting new ticket sales as well as early bird tickets until around 12:15am. At this point, security was instructed by organizers that for the remainder of the event, they should allow anyone approaching the gate with valid I.D to enter, whether they had a ticket or not, for free.
The gate was not to be closed to anyone over the age of nineteen at any point during the evening.
The volunteers organizing FunFest, as well as the board of the Trenton Forge Society are disappointed that this happened, and we are actively seeking more information on how it transpired, despite the precautions that were taken to avoid it. We, as a whole, acknowledge that if it were not for this incorrect and unfair rejection, the situation would have never escalated in the manner that it did. We have received a report from the security company that was hired and upon reviewing it requested a more in depth report of the incident. We are also taking significant steps to find out where the miscommunication happened and to ensure something like this never happens again.
In the meantime, as organizers, we take full responsibility for this incident. We regret that although we believed we had taken steps to prevent this, it still happened on our watch. As a collective, we offer our sincerest apology to the event-goers impacted by this, especially given that some of those folks have been instrumental in the success of FunFest not only in previous years but this year as well. We acknowledge the impact this had on those involved and while it was not intended, we are sorry that it happened.
