Last year, 2,200 people attended NX35. But it’s difficult to tell what kind of economic impact they had on Denton.

That’s largely because most of those people either were already from Denton or just passed through the city without staying says Kim Phillips of the Denton Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“The passing through still makes an impact, but how do you measure it? They buy gas, they might buy a couple of drinks? But it’s very hard to measure unless it creates for a business a dramatic impact over a typical Saturday night,” she says.

This year could be different, though. Festival organizers say it’s tough to guess how many people might show up for Saturday’s Flaming Lips/Midlake show since the event is free and you don’t need a ticket to get in. But you can bet it will attract way more people than last year’s entire event drew. NX35 organizers say as many as 30,000 people could show up.

And at least some of those people are going to stay in hotels, eat in restaurants, etc. That’s when economic impact can begin to be measured.

“I think this year we’re going to break that boundary and be able to put a little clearer economic impact on it,” Phillips says.

In related news, be careful if you’re planning on driving to the free show on Saturday. The city is concerned that the area around the North Texas State Fairgrounds can’t handle all the traffic. Especially since it’s hard to tell how many people are coming to the show.

“With it being a free concert, we don’t know if we’re going to have 7,000 or 15,000 or more,” says Janie McLeod of the Denton Parks and Recreation department. “It’s just not a predictable thing at this point.”

To that end, the NX35 Web site has provided some helpful tips on getting in and out of the show.