# What is a Dopefest? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 8, 2003, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962 "2003-07-08T09:35:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/1 "2003-07-08T09:35:16Z")
Is it a serious discussion of topics that have come up on the board or a bunch of people in a bar getting drunk? ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/2 "2003-07-08T09:46:38Z")
It’s both. Mostly it’s a bunch of people getting together and having fun. But I’ve seen heated debates, intelligent discussion, and pit-worthy rants. But mostly it’s just a bunch of people getting together and having fun. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/3 "2003-07-08T11:28:21Z")
And not everyone gets drunk. There are usually museum trips, tours of local areas, a baseball game, or other events for people to do together. ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/4 "2003-07-08T12:34:44Z")
As **Bill** said, and as Fests (normally) last a few days, there will be dinners/lunches/brunches in cool places as well. I can only speak for the New York Fests, but there are usually trips to other neat places like the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, stores of interest, the 9-11 site, etc. However, as I’ve seen all this stuff, I stick to the bars. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![JavaMaven1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@JavaMaven1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JavaMaven1)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/5 "2003-07-08T13:27:10Z")
C’mon! You forgot the weekend-long orgies and lots of nekkid Doper Wimmens! And when we burn effigies of Cecil at the end of the weekend! Oh yes… and we can’t forget our very special initiation rite for first-time dopefest attendees. 😃 (No, not really. Carry on.) ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/6 "2003-07-09T03:54:57Z")
Fests **usually** last a few days??? I think most of them are just a one-evening type thing (or other time of day, depending), except for the occassional “big ones” (like the NYC ones in January) Most of them are just a bunch of people meeting at a restaurant or someone’s house. There was one just tonight at Bennegan’s in Springfield, VA. It lasted about 3 hours. There was a big one at the end of June at Jonathan Chance’s house that lasted all afternoon and well past midnight. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/7 "2003-07-09T06:52:38Z")
Hey! You’re not to mention the initiation rite! Especially not the part with the salad tongs! [sub]oops[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Kallessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7993a0/32.png) [@Kallessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallessa)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/8 "2003-07-09T06:59:35Z")
Salad tongs? I thought we changed that to two spatulas and a corkscrew. Did I miss a memo? ---
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/9 "2003-07-09T07:14:18Z")
What happens at Dopefests varies greatly according to the crowd. I’ve been to 'fests where the big activities included kite-flying, watching an orchestra, and bowling. Many of them aren’t alcohol-centered; it depends on where it is, who is organizing, that sort of thing. And then there was the last big NYC dopefest, where one night I was carded and couldn’t get in, and legions of dopers in various states of sobriety came out to say hi to me, pissing the bouncer off to no small extent. I have since turned 21. Woo. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/10 "2003-07-09T16:36:51Z")
I went to one in Monterey at a restaurant, there was alot of drinking & then people became very friendly. There are dopefest pictures on the net Major, if you want to see what happens. ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/11 "2003-07-09T16:45:03Z")
That’s good to hear, **andygirl**. That was a pretty annoying situation. And **Opal** , I don’t think these things have ever really be defined all that well. In the NY area, we’ve done a lot of DopeDinners - “Hey, let’s all get together at some joint to eat and then hit a bar.” No big deal. Then there’s “Let’s go and hang out with our friend **Dave** for the day.” Certainly not a Fest, just friends seeing each other. Then there are the Fests. Any grand event where there can be Dopers numbering by the score is a Fest in my book. Then there are the True Fests. Weekend-long extravaganzas that have been detailed above. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/12 "2003-07-09T16:55:09Z")
I don’t know what they are, exactly, but Google is helpful! First, “Dopefest”: [http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=dopefest](http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=dopefest) (366 results) Next, “Dopefest” in ImageSearch: [http://images.google.com/images?q=dopefest&svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=0](http://images.google.com/images?q=dopefest&svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=0) (136 results) Some nifty pics there! ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/13 "2003-07-11T04:05:15Z")
Gordon? Um… I’m not sure why you are addressing that to me? I was simply countering the suggestion that “most” of them last for mulitple days. Having been a participant at Dopefests since 1997 I’ve found that very few of them, statistically speaking, span multiple days. I don’t think I suggested any sort of rigid definition. Here are some more pics from other fests: [http://tinyurl.com/crl0](http://tinyurl.com/crl0) (anyone who wants their dopefest pics added just email me a zip file) ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/14 "2003-07-11T05:57:40Z")
A few more pix from the Folsom Street Fair 2000 in San Francisco. [http://www.angelfire.com/theforce/jjtm/newgallery/DopeFolsom.html](http://www.angelfire.com/theforce/jjtm/newgallery/DopeFolsom.html) ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/15 "2003-07-11T10:03:09Z")
Us Britishers get in on the act too. We have a Dopefest planned for the end of next month and the details of our previous one can be found here: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=180157](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=180157) the photos of the event can be found here: [http://www.kat22.com/brumdope/piccies.htm](http://www.kat22.com/brumdope/piccies.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/16 "2003-07-11T12:13:37Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by OpalCat_ > Gordon? [sigh] ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/17 "2003-07-11T12:20:59Z")
What? I’m confused! I’ve obviously missed something but I don’t know what. And now I’ve annoyed someone on top of it. _cry_ ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/18 "2003-07-11T12:22:54Z")
[sub]psst, his name’s not Gordon[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Isosleepy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/isosleepy/32/479_2.png) [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/19 "2003-07-11T13:29:07Z")
ever any in/near Pittsburgh, PA? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962/20 "2003-07-11T13:50:44Z")
Occasionally, or so the rumor goes. Do a search on “Pittsburgh”, thread titles only, restricted to this forum. It turns up 12 threads, about 5 of which appear to be Dopefest threads. Since I didn’t open all the threads, I don’t know how many of them actually turned into Dopefests. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-dopefest/186962.md?page=2)