Traverse City Film Festival — Local services in Traverse City

The festival has gotten so big that locals who can by tickets in person gobble up all the good ones. Those of us at a distance are usually shut out. This year we got 4 out of ten choices and others in our group got 2 and 3 out of ten choices even at immediate 6 p.m. sign-in. (In person buyers got a 6-hour head start.)

Lodging is too expensive at event pricing to chance stand-in lines, not to mention health considerations for some of our friends. So, after 10 good years, we're regretfully bowing out and cancelling our arrangements.

TCFF needs to decide whether it wants to be a local festival or a destination event. If the later, they need to get rid of...

Enthusiastic and friendly volunteers, gorgeous venues, the best movies, free parking and shuttle service. In 3 years of going, since 2015, I have seen dozens of movies, most of the time from the standby line. There has only been 1 time that I waited in standby and didn't get in. JUST ONE!! That's an amazing track record, the festival does everything it can to get everyone in, once they even dragged in extra chairs so everyone could see the movie. I love this festival, simply adore the volunteers, I wish I had known...

Fabulous to witness the the most amazing way that Festival ran on "top drawer" volunteer help all around.

Hands down...the brilliance, the cooperation, the townspeople as well as the hundreds and hundreds of travelers who came here to see it all....melded into one helluva Film Festival.

To top it all off...the townsfolk, (who have to kind of step aside a bit) were right down in the midst of it all having a fabulous time as well.

I scratch my head and simply say, "HOW DID THEY DO ...