BEHIND THE SCENES
BEHIND THE SCENES
Levy attributes a large part of the festival’ s success to its intentional pace of expansion and thoughtful growth, stressing the importance of maintaining an intimate atmosphere despite increasing popularity:“ We went at this in a relatively slow manner. Many festivals grow too big, too fast, losing sight of their core identity. The bigger the bands you get, the more tickets you have to sell, and that can create a lot of pressure. We intentionally cap our attendance at 2,000 patrons per day to preserve that small-festival feel.”
This intimate and welcoming atmosphere is central to Levy’ s vision, ensuring a safe and comfortable environment for all ages. Levy elaborated,“ Dead of Summer has always been designed with families in mind. We’ ve continuously added more activities, like tiedye sessions, and yoga and music workshops for kids. It helps make the experience comfortable and inviting for everyone.”
Levy’ s ongoing partnership with Paul
Carroccio is key to the festival’ s operational success. Levy described Carroccio’ s role as indispensable:“ Paul deals with all the operational stuff— large equipment, fencing, heavy machinery, trailers, and transportation. He handles the complex coordination needed to make the festival run smoothly. That allows me to focus on sales, marketing, band booking, and the creative side.” Levy also praised Carroccio’ s extensive local connections, which facilitate smooth logistical execution:“ Paul was instrumental in bridging the gap when we moved from Magic Mountain to Manchester. His local expertise and relationships significantly streamlined our planning and execution process.”
The festival’ s collaboration with local, Manchester-based radio station, 102.7 WEQX, further strengthens its community ties.“ Jeff Morad and the WEQX team have been crucial in promoting the festival,” Levy noted.“ Jeff is not just our MC; he helps create that genuine community spirit around the music scene here in Vermont.” Community engagement is another cornerstone of Dead of Summer. Levy actively integrates local Vermont businesses into the festival experience. He has partnered with over 20 local vendors over the past several years, such as Sexy Llama Coffee Roasters, Anon’ s Thai Cuisine, Wormtown Trading Company, Solus Studio, Hooked Productions, Taylor Farm Hemp Company, Southern Vermont Essentials, and The Pizza Burrow, among others. Levy remarked,“ Supporting local vendors and artisans is essential. We’ re deeply committed to Vermont’ s economy, and we always do a fundraiser to benefit the local community.” In past years, the festival has supported local nonprofit initiatives and organizations, such as Neighbor-to-Neighbor and flood relief efforts. For 2025, Levy announced:“ We’ re hosting a Bloody Mary Sunday fundraiser benefiting The Mint in Rutland. We’ re continuing our yearly tradition of giving back.”
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38 manchester life | manchesterlifemagazine. com