The next month is critical prep time for El Paso to ensure the big BTS concert weekend runs smooth like butter.<\/p>\n
As the region readies for a jam-packed May 2-3 weekend, event planners, logistics crews and law enforcement are working to make sure the city and concertgoers have what they need for a safe, fun time.<\/p>\n
In addition to the K-pop superstars\u2019 concerts at the Sun Bowl, expected to draw 50,000 fans each night, the weekend will include El Paso Comic Con and the inaugural Sol Summit festival in Downtown, plus Michelada Fest at Ascarate Park. Less than two weeks later, Post Malone performs at the Sun Bowl.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s unfortunate scheduling,\u201d said Troy Stegner, owner and promoter of Fatman Events, which runs El Paso Comic Con. \u201cIt just illustrates how all these people who complain there\u2019s nothing to do in El Paso aren\u2019t looking. It\u2019s just unfortunate it\u2019s happening on the same weekend in May for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2025, Comic Con drew about 25,000 people to the El Paso Convention Center for the three-day weekend.<\/p>\n
Stegner said they couldn\u2019t reschedule this year\u2019s convention. Planning to host their event at the El Paso Convention Center begins a year in advance.<\/p>\n
Contracts with the convention center for security and first responders have already been agreed upon, and it would be almost impossible to reschedule vendors and celebrity appearances, he said.<\/p>\n
The convention is May 1-3. Admission on Friday is free thanks to a sponsorship from Mango Cannabis, a chain of marijuana dispensaries.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been doing this since 2016, but it\u2019s existed since the \u201980s,\u201d Stegner said. \u201cWe want to make it bigger and better each year. We also want to do our best to try and keep tickets affordable.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Coldplay came to El Paso last June, the two sold-out shows at the Sun Bowl contributed more than $6 million to El Paso\u2019s tourism industry, including a hearty boost to the hotel occupancy tax.<\/p>\n
Hotels filled up, reaching 95% occupancy last June.<\/p>\n
This year, lodging is scarce for the May 2-3 weekend, and many hotels and Airbnb short-term rentals are booked.<\/p>\n
Jose Garcia, president and CEO of Destination El Paso, expects BTS\u2019s economic impact to rival Coldplay\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could be looking at another record,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cEl Paso is an entertainment destination. There is an appetite for ticketed, entertainment events. We have the facilities, and people like Live Nation are paying attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jorge Vazquez, executive director of the UTEP Office of Special Events, said his team is confident in its ability to handle the 50,000 BTS fans expected each night at Sun Bowl Stadium.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey need to know that the stadium is reputable,\u201d he said. \u201cEven though our stadium, infrastructure-wise, is not as robust as an NFL stadium, we have a reputation that we know what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vazquez said preparations include tailoring services and resources toward BTS\u2019s younger, female fanbase and first-time visitors to the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to realize that, although the majority of tickets were sold in the region, not a lot of people have been to El Paso, let alone to the stadium,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re preparing a massive fan guide with as much information as possible. We want to have the information of what we do know early enough so people can start planning.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the Coldplay shows, Vazquez acknowledged, the demand for water was high.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Coldplay, we gave away more water than ever. A huge allotment of water was depleted in one day,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had them for two days. It was depleted in one day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vazquez is working with UTEP\u2019s plumbers to hook up a water source for an endless supply for the BTS shows and future Sun Bowl concerts. The team is also finalizing a parking plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re doing a lot more things that we had not done before because Coldplay set the bar at a different level and fan expectations,\u201d he said. \u201cThis time around, having a permanent infrastructure will prepare us for this and future shows.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inside the Sun Bowl, the UTEP Police Department will handle venue security. That also includes the infamous mountain El Pasoans regularly climb to get a free peek at a Sun Bowl show.<\/p>\n
The El Paso Police Department is also planning for that weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we do is we look at how it\u2019s going to affect the outside of the UTEP footprint, traffic control. You have all those venues that are down there \u2013 the restaurants, clubs and all that other stuff,\u201d said El Paso Police Chief Pete Pacillas. \u201cWe look at how that affects us. The same thing with Downtown.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
El Paso Police Chief Pete Pacillas<\/p>\n
Photo by Ruben R.Ramirez<\/p>\n
The police department prioritizes daily city needs and then factors in officers and scheduling for events. For a city-sanctioned event, the budget for the officers comes from the police department. For others, event promoters pay for officers, Pacillas said.<\/p>\n
He declined to provide the number of officers requested for the May weekend, citing security reasons.<\/p>\n
Pacillas said the Office of Emergency Management, which includes the fire department, Red Cross and others, can be activated for large events.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody\u2019s in one room so decisions can be made quickly, and those can be for planned events or emergency events,\u201d Pacillas said.<\/p>\n
Lessons learned from last year\u2019s Coldplay concert are also informing this year\u2019s planning.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the Coldplay concert, we got notified very late in the game \u2013 weeks before \u2013 that UTEP was requesting assistance. We were scrambling to help them out on that. We brought in the fire department so they could do their medical plan, all that,\u201d Pacillas said. \u201cThe good side to that is we\u2019ve done this so many times, we were able to bring the resources in pretty quick and get it as smooth as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
One key takeaway was the need for more coordination and communication on public transportation, rideshare drop-offs and pickups, and commuter flow.<\/p>\n
Complementary, not rivals<\/p>\n
Vazquez said he is not concerned about other events happening around the city during the BTS concerts. He said the additional events add to the atmosphere.<\/p>\n
Event organizers for Michelada Fest agree.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can all coexist that weekend,\u201d said Fernando Nieto, co-founder of Michelada Fest. \u201cI\u2019m really excited to see what they do with Sol Summit. I\u2019m a huge supporter of new, independent events.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michelada Fest, a Latin music festival, was started in Chicago in 2018. Nieto said they brought it to El Paso last year in hopes of becoming a flagship event.<\/p>\n
The first festival in 2025 sold out with 8,000 attendees. Organizers hope to sell out with 12,000 people each night this year. Miguel Torres, festival co-founder, said the event will continue to grow as they present culturally relevant artists.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we think about these festivals, we think about the music we grew up to and the music we\u2019re listening to now,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s about celebrating music all under one roof.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric Pearson, president of the El Paso Community Foundation, which is presenting the Sol Summit Music & Cultura Festival, said the entertainment showcases the city.<\/p>\n
The festival, long a dream of Pearson\u2019s and other creators, features artists both big and small to appeal to El Pasoans\u2019 musical tastes. It mainly caters to an older audience with families in mind, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hope is that we\u2019ll build on this, and I have some big ideas we can\u2019t get into right now,\u201d Pearson said. \u201cI want to build something that makes our summers a cultural attraction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seth Dodson, festival director for Sol Summit, said 3,000 to 4,000 attendees per day would be considered a sell-out event.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe success for something like this, with that nonprofit angle, is we want this to resonate with the community,\u201d Dodson said.<\/p>\n
Pearson said the May weekend has the potential to shine a new spotlight on El Paso.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity to show what a beautiful city we have,\u201d he said. \u201cWe were doing this before we knew BTS was coming to town, but we think it\u2019s a boon to Sol Summit. We\u2019re going to be 1\/10 the size of that, but happily 1\/10 the size.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The next month is critical prep time for El Paso to ensure the big BTS concert weekend runs…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":195901,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[14545,77575,138,140,139,77574,27,32939],"class_list":["post-197239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-el-paso","tag-bts","tag-comic-book-convention","tag-el-paso","tag-el-paso-headlines","tag-el-paso-news","tag-sun-bowl-stadium","tag-texas","tag-university-of-texas-at-el-paso"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197239\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}