Phish concerts tonight, Sunday may boost traffic in vicinity of SPAC

PHOTOGRAPHER: Tatiana Zarnowski

Phish concerts are likely to cause traffic congestion tonight and Sunday evening around Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

Gates to the two SPAC parking lots on Route 50 open at 4 p.m. both days, and amphitheater gates open at 5:30 p.m.

Authorities will continue stricter enforcement of alcohol policies that started at the Dave Matthews Band concerts earlier this month.

Drug enforcement also will be in effect. There are usually at least a few arrests for possession of hallucinogenic drugs, including mushrooms, at the Phish concerts every year.

And the incidents can spill over into downtown. During the same weekend as the concert last year, a city police investigator was splashed with liquid LSD while arresting a man during a drug detail outside the Saratoga Springs Public Library.

It was not clear whether the man had been at the Phish concerts.

Authorities announced Tuesday they plan to have uniformed and plainclothes officers and investigators looking for violation of laws, including having alcohol in state parks, possession of marijuana, underage drinking and driving while intoxicated.

Officers will make arrests, issue tickets, impound vehicles, take and discard alcohol and throw violators out of the park. Passive alcohol screening devices will be used to detect alcohol in unmarked containers, and drug-sniffing dogs also will be on site.

Concert patrons are responsible for carrying their own litter out of the park, and glass containers are banned.

For people attending the concert, parking is available at several lots in the park for $10, in addition to the free lots on Route 50. Officials encourage carpooling. The Route 50 entrance to SPAC is the best place to drop off ticketholders starting at 5:30 p.m. The entrance by the sundial off the Route 50 parking lot will be accessible starting at 10 p.m. for those returning to pick up concert-goers.