Iron Blossom Festival will return to Richmond next year

It's official, Iron Blossom Music Festival will return next year, a spokesperson for organizers tells Axios, and (very early) planning is already underway.

Why it matters: The inaugural festival, a sort of mini-Bonnaroo or Coachella, was the first of its kind for Richmond. Whether it will come back next year hinged on its success this year.

What's happening: The festival sold out by early evening Saturday and pulled in around 14,000 attendees over the two days, per early numbers, organizers say.

• It's way too early for any specifics for next year's festival, but Bon Secours Training Center is a likely contender to host again.

What they're saying: The location was a win and made for a great festival, Axios Richmond readers say.

• "The layout was excellent, the sound system was killer. … The bands were interesting and all fantastic with a nice mix of up-and-comers," Janet W. tells Axios.
• "Successful, well-run festival with great acts, good layout and logistics," says Kirk J.
• "I think all of the performers were happily shocked by how enthusiastic the crowd was [and] the facilities were great," says Amy H.

Yes, but: There were too few water stations and not enough shade, Axios Richmond readers say, and next year they'd like to see more of both and someone monitoring festivalgoers for overheating.

Plus, some of the food and drink prices seemed high, even with expected festival markups, readers note. (One vendor was selling $100 chicken nuggets, topped with gold flakes, caviar and shaved truffles.)

Still, "overall, it was a really great festival with top-notch acts that was really well run," Janet says, and other Axios readers echoed the sentiment.

What's next: Attendees can expect to get a survey in the next few weeks to share their thoughts directly with organizers.