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A Glowing Disaster or Success? Opinions on the SaMo Fest are Strong
The official count for Glow in Santa Monica this weekend is now at 200,000 people with 75,000 there at the same time, according to the Santa Monica Police Department. For the most part, comments left on an LAist post (and other sites) about the event were very strong and negative. However, from there, the biannual event can only come back in 2010 as a slamming success, drawing the same large crowd and pleasing even more people. And not everyone had a bad time. LAist Special Projects Editor Elise Thompson shared the magic she experienced and some wicked photos yesterday (and so did our LAist Featured Photos contributors on Flickr, whose photos are below)
According to one Santa Monica employee, who wished to remain anonymous, there were a lot of problems internally, logistically, politically, etc. However, the employee noted here lies a huge opportunity for the city. "The beach isn't an integrated part of the nighttime experience in Santa Monica... I saw people really enjoying being on the beach late at night. Granted, the beach became more attractive because of the problems with the event and people were having fun because none of the beach rules were being enforced, but I thought it was a rare treat to hang out on the beach at night with a whole bunch of people, run into friends and be part of a big party." If Santa Monica's beach was open at night, would that benefit the city?
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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