# Newbie Question: Dopefests **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 6, 2003, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912 "2003-01-06T10:31:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/1 "2003-01-06T10:31:03Z")
I apologize in advance if this is in the wrong forum or if this sort of thing has been asked in the recent past but I didn’t see anything with a cursory search and I’ve been curious about the Dopefest phenomenon since first coming here a month ago. So… uh… how common are these things? How are they planned? Are the gatherings usually smallish or larger? Are everyday friendships (by everyday, I mean “real life” or not online) commonly forged through these things? Again, I apologize for asking such inane questions but I’m honestly intrigued as to how this works on such a huge board. It’s happened a bit here and there at smaller boards I either read or post at but the scale of the SDMB just overtaxes my feeble brain. Also… any plans for an Eastern Tennessee / Western North Carolina / Northern Georgia Dopefest at any time in the future? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/2 "2003-01-06T11:22:47Z")
I’ve been to a couple and I read about the rest, so I’ll have a go at your questions. How common? Whenever someone decides they’d like to have one and they can persuade others to join in. How planned? Some better than others, I imagine… How big? Some bigger than others. Kinda like any gathering. Friendships? How about marriages? Yep, Dopefests often lead to real life couplings. I think there’s a Bama/Georgia Dope in the planning stages - can’t remember who initiated it, but you can try a search. I’ve been to two. One was at a restaurant and one was at a private home. Once I move to Maryland, I expect to participate in more, and eventually host one when our house is built. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/3 "2003-01-06T13:11:46Z")
You know it. They happen fairly often. But with such a wide geographic base to draw from one might not happen near any particular person for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/4 "2003-01-06T13:18:32Z")
Dopefests range from from 2 to 75 (I believe that was the approximate tally for the recently completed NYCDope) attendees. They’re planned by somebody starting a thread asking if people want to get together in some place at some time. The biggies are ChiDope, which happens some time in the spring, and NYCDope, which is the first weekend in January. There was a big fest in LA in fall 2001, but I don’t know if that one will be repeated. Smaller gatherings happen all the time in various places. I went to my first Dopefest as a newbie of about 2 months, and now I’ve been to dozens of gatherings both small and large, and yes, many, many friendships are formed. I even married a Doper. ---
**Author:** ![Rue\_DeDay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/41988e/32.png) [@Rue\_DeDay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rue_DeDay)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/5 "2003-01-06T13:52:00Z")
Don’t go to DopeFests! They are dangerous! They are actually just an elaborate plot to harvest you’re organs! Do you know how old Cecil really is? Man! That dude needs some serious up-keep! Don’t get me started on the blood-drinking! -Rue! ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/6 "2003-01-06T13:53:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aesiron \* > \*\* > Also… any plans for an Eastern Tennessee / Western North Carolina / Northern Georgia Dopefest at any time in the future? 🙂 \*\* Hi - good to see another ET doper here! There is a tentative Bamadope planned - I think Birmingham is sort of set as a meeting place. If you search for Bamadope or for the user name Nocturne in MPSIMS, you should find the thread. But we could always work on a ET/WNC/NG fest if there’s enough interest. I used to work for a company based in Cleveland - and I grew up in Chattanooga (I’m a Notre Dame HS graduate). I also often cut through Cleveland if I’m heading from here to Atlanta and not planning on stopping at the parent’s house - just so I avoid the construction mess north of Chattanooga. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/7 "2003-01-06T14:16:00Z")
> [@](#): > > There was a big fest in LA in fall 2001, but I don’t know if that one will be repeated. Ah, DopeToberFest! I think there were 70 or more people there. It was held in Redondo Beach at El Torito. **Francesca** made the trip over from England, but I don’t know if she planned her trip for the Fest or if the Fest was just incidental. People came from all over the U.S., and there might have been a Doper or two from Down Under. Will it be repeated? I hope so! Especially if NY edged us out as The Biggest Dopefest. We must regain the title! \*\*West SOID! \x/ \*\* ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/8 "2003-01-06T16:39:31Z")
Well, you can search the forum for them & find photos of them posted online. You can even start your own. Seems to be a lot of alcohol at some of them, like the one I went to 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/9 "2003-01-06T17:20:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aesiron \* > \*\*I apologize in advance if this is in the wrong forum or if this sort of thing has been asked in the recent past but I didn’t see anything with a cursory search and I’ve been curious about the Dopefest phenomenon since first coming here a month ago. > > So… uh… how common are these things? How are they planned? Are the gatherings usually smallish or larger? Are everyday friendships (by everyday, I mean “real life” or not online) commonly forged through these things? > > Again, I apologize for asking such inane questions but I’m honestly intrigued as to how this works on such a huge board. It’s happened a bit here and there at smaller boards I either read or post at but the scale of the SDMB just overtaxes my feeble brain. > > Also… any plans for an Eastern Tennessee / Western North Carolina / Northern Georgia Dopefest at any time in the future? 🙂 \*\* Okay, I’ll give you my take (and this is coming from someone who’s been two an NYC fest in 2002, two (or more) ChiDopes, a DopeToYourDoor, which was a mobile DopeFest, etc): First of all, DopeFests can be anywhere from a huge turnout (such as the NYC fest I attended last year) to just a few people (as the DopeToYourDoor). Depends on your individual tastes, really. Friendships? You betcha. I consider **thinksnow** a friend in real life, **jarbabyj** and the cast of Chicago Dopers, too. Not to mention **TruePisces** and others. Granted, I don’t see them all of the time, as I live in a different city, but **thinksnow** and I used to hang out on a semi-regular basis before he moved back to Columbus, OH. I’ve seen people become friends, I know people that are either currently engaged or married because of such get-togethers. Depending on what you like, the ChiDopes have a reputation for debauchery. If that’s not your bag, think about some of the others. I haven’t attended one in the South, but I’ll be watching to see if something pulls together, and when. I have to go to Atlanta (well, Snellville, actually) in June/July for a wedding. If I can at least make a ‘pop-in’ on a DopeFest, I’ll do my best. They’re not constant things. For example, at the ChiDopes I’ve attended, a few people will meet up that afternoon, go to museums, lunch, tattoo parlors, whatever. My first DopeFest involved me getting a tattoo, and **BunnyGirl** , who used to hang around here, getting her navel pierced. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/10 "2003-01-06T18:52:25Z")
Thanks for the info everyone. It’s much appreciated. I’m not sure I can make any sort of Dopefest that’s being planned at this point 'cause of my relatively new status here and the fact that I don’t have a mode of transportation. The former’ll change over time and I’m working on the latter, so it might be worth a shot within a month or three, hopefully. And **Lsura** , you have my condolences on having lived so close and commuted through this wide spot in the road. I like it here and all but it doesn’t take very much at all to please me. 🙂 How recently have you been through this area? If I’m not mistaken, the larger part of the construction’s done… or are you referring to the road before you hit Hamilton Place? Just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/11 "2003-01-06T19:04:38Z")
Don’t go until you’ve hit at _least_ 500 posts because a virgin (aka newbie) must be ritually sacrificed to the Master and you don’t wanna be the one jabbed with the Anti-Ignorance Pointy Stick. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/12 "2003-01-06T19:26:16Z")
It’s not so much the stick as it is WHERE they get jabbed… ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/13 "2003-01-06T19:38:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aesiron \* > \*\* > How recently have you been through this area? If I’m not mistaken, the larger part of the construction’s done… or are you referring to the road before you hit Hamilton Place? Just curious. \*\* I was in Chattanooga for Christmas - my parents and a couple of my siblings are still there. And I’ll be making the trek through again this weekend for a friend’s wedding in Atlanta. Yes, I’m talking about the nightmare just north of Hamilton Place on I-75. They’ve been doing construction on the stretch between there and the 24/75 split for years. Someday they’ll finish. Probably about the time I leave Tennessee again. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/14 "2003-01-06T19:42:43Z")
Ah, my mistake then. I thought you meant the construction south of the mall which has been done for a year or more now. I was a little befuddled. :o ---
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/15 "2003-01-06T20:03:00Z")
**Aesiron** asked: > [@](#): > > Are the gatherings usually smallish or larger? As Cecil Adams says, “Whenever two or more gather in my name, it is a Dopefest.” (That is not an exact quote… hope I don’t get in trouble with the big guy.) I’ve been to a Dopefest here in the Twin Cities when former poster **Satan** was in town. There were, IIRC, about eight of us there. **rubes** and I had a mini-Dopefest (just da two of us at the bar) and **MaryAnnQ** and I met in Eau Claire… A good time was had by all in both situations! ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/16 "2003-01-06T20:44:54Z")
Hey **Aesiron** , good to see ya. > [@](#): > > I’m not sure I can make any sort of Dopefest that’s being planned at this point 'cause of my relatively new status here and the fact that I don’t have a mode of transportation. The former’ll change over time and I’m working on the latter, so it might be worth a shot within a month or three, hopefully. Don’t sweat being new - we’ve had folks newer than you attend. And much carpooling occurs. Planning usually seems to focus on one or two people who sort out the details, and having done that myself several times I can tell you that it’s a huge help to have other posters keep the planning thread active. So go find that Bamadope thread and post something! ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/17 "2003-01-06T20:56:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jonathan Chance \* > \*\*It’s not so much the stick as it is WHERE they get jabbed… \*\* \< epiphany \> Ohhhh… Now I understand. _That’s_ what the “pull that stick outta your --” posts are referring to in the BBQ Pit! I get it. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/18 "2003-01-06T21:05:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \* > \*\*Will it be repeated? I hope so! Especially if NY edged us out as The Biggest Dopefest. We must regain the title! \*\*West SOID! \x/ \*\* \*\* Let’s not repeat the part where L.A.'s finest had to visit out little outdor motel soiree and tell us to shut the &^# up or go home. Aside from that little hitch it was a stone cold blast and I look forward to doing it again. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/19 "2003-01-06T21:08:13Z")
As long as you don’t move near Boston. We _never_ get together. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![tanookie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/48db29/32.png) [@tanookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanookie)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912/20 "2003-01-06T22:12:03Z")
That’s 'cause it is cold and decidedly unfriendly in Massachusetts… every internet group I’ve been involved with never does anything in Mass ☹ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-question-dopefests/146912.md?page=2)