CHAIR LINE DETAILS

Rules for 2025 - Please Read

The Hodag Country Festival chair line is a lottery-style system that provides an equal opportunity for all who participate. The chair line is an option many Hodagers enjoy; it is not mandatory to participate. Chairs can be put out any time after the chair line event is complete.

There are three simple steps if you want to participate in the chair line:

1. COLLECT VOUCHER STUBS: Obtaining a voucher this year will be simplified as every 9-day ticket has a chair line voucher stub attached to it. Get your ‘chair family’ together by having one member of your party collect voucher stubs from everyone in your group. Just take the voucher stub off the ticket by tearing along the perforation. It would be nice if you would put the voucher stubs in numerical order before the next step! Hodag Country Festival is not responsible for misplaced voucher stubs.

2. SPIN THE WHEEL FOR A LANYARD: You will bring the voucher stubs to the Festival with you to spin the Chair Line Wheel for a color! The wheel will be located in the Pavilion and you can spin it between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Saturday, July 5th through Monday, July 7th, and Tuesday, July 8th, 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Only one person from your group needs to be present to spin the wheel.

When you spin for a color, your color will correspond with a time. The time corresponding with the colors will be drawn in the Pavilion at 8:05 p.m. on Tuesday, July 8th and announced via Facebook, email blast, Twitter and Instagram after 8:05 p.m. That corresponding time is when you can make your way to the seating area on Wednesday, July 9th, 2025 with your chairs to set out.

After you spin, you will be given a lanyard that shows your number of verified chairs and your color. This lanyard is what will give you access to the seating area during your designated time slot.

3. PUT YOUR CHAIRS OUT: When it is your time to enter the seating area, there only needs to be one person present to set out your chairs; but if you have a larger group, you may have more than one person to assist.

There will be eight areas of entry to the seating area that will be clearly marked. People that are loitering with chairs before their assigned time are subject to having their lanyard revoked. Without a lanyard, you will have to wait until the final time slot is over to place your chairs.

ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
  • The voucher stub is necessary to spin the wheel. If you purchase a ticket from a source other than Hodag Country Festival, please be sure it includes the voucher stub. Hodag Country Festival is not responsible for lost or stolen voucher stubs. Please keep it safe!
  • If you buy tickets at the gate or if you are a worker or volunteer, you will be given a one chair voucher upon getting your wristband. You can add the one chair vouchers to someone’s party that got their voucher stubs ahead of time and has not yet been to the wheel to spin, or you can create your own party by combining vouchers with the people you come through the gates with.
  • Children’s tickets are for aged 6-11 and can only be purchased after the gates open for the festival. When purchased, the wristband will be put on the child, and a voucher provided for the chair line process. If you have a child under age 6 and would like for them to have their own chair, you will need to purchase a children’s 9-day ticket.
  • The chair line is intended for 9-day ticket holders. Chairs for daily ticket holders can be placed after the last time slot is finished setting out chairs. If someone who is coming for one day wants to sit with a group, they will need to buy a 9-day ticket to obtain a voucher stub.
  • The color’s corresponding times will be 2:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Each time slot will be allowed to complete entering the seating area before the next time slot starts.
  • Please bring your chairs to the entertainment area no earlier than 15 minutes before your time slot.
  • If you are transporting your chairs in wagons, please have them on their sides for easier and quicker counting as you enter the seating area (not piled up).
  • A lanyard with an earlier time slot can enter the seating area with later time slots, but later time slots cannot enter the seating area with an earlier time slot.
  • The lanyard is critical to entering the seating area. Hodag Country Festival is not responsible for lost or stolen lanyards. Please keep it safe!
  • As always, please walk when placing your chairs. No running.
  • No coolers allowed during the chair line event on Wednesday, July 9th.
  • Only standard lawn chairs are allowed in the seating area. Other chairs such as lounge, multi-seat, bar/pub height, director, chairs with high backs or tables, etc. are not allowed in the seating area. Coolers are not acceptable as chairs.
  • Your chairs can be placed anywhere in the seating area where space allows, with the back legs of your chairs placed on the painted lines. Chairs must be placed within two inches of each other.
  • When choosing your chair’s location for the weekend, please be aware that many of our artists do not want us to ask Hodagers to stay seated during performances. These artists enjoy the crowd excitement and participation. Therefore, if you want to sit the entire weekend we suggest trying to sit behind the handicapped section, and if you plan to stand for most shows, please avoid placing your chairs behind the handicapped section.
  • Once your chairs are placed, please leave the seating area at the front by the stage.
  • For those who do not want to participate in the chair line, chairs can be put out any time after the chair line event is complete.
  • Handicapped section: handicapped individuals are allowed one person to sit with them in the handicapped section. They need to obtain a handicapped wristband near the west side of the stage by the seating area and will be allowed to enter at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9th.
  • The Hodag Country Festival reserves the right to alter these rules at any time due to circumstances beyond our control.
  • Thanks for your patience as we work toward making the chair line a better experience for all!