With the kickoff of South by Southwest (SXSW) on March 9, it’s officially the start of festival season. But this year, there are a lot more reasons to attend than just music. Festivals have been adding more and more stuff to do (perhaps why ticket prices have also been increasing …).
Regardless, you’ll be getting plenty of bang for your buck. SXSW has become just as known for their tech conference as their music, and this year is no exception. If you’re at all involved in social media, web development or burgeoning technology, the Interactive festival has become a standard destination.
Other festivals have gotten more into visual art. Curated in partnership with arts group The Creators Project, Coachella is promising “artistic experiences” developed with bands like Arcade Fire, along with an art installation that will become part of a traveling exhibition. Illinois’ Cornerstone Festival also has a gigantic arts section, where you can do art and see what other people create.
Some festivals are adding more outside-the-box extras. Bonnaroo’s comedy stage became an attraction in its own right last year, with Cheech Marin, Donald Glover and Lewis Black all performing. Wild Goose Festival in North Carolina features an entire section where people can tell and listen to stories. And Lollapalooza now offers on-site training for hopeful producers and DJs.
So, if you’re a comedy buff who happens to love visual art, technology and wants to get into DJing, this is the summer for you.
April 28 is a big day for Five Iron Frenzy fans—that’s the day the recently reunited band plays their first reunion show. In that spirit, here are five other CCM legends who we think should plot a comeback as well.
PFR
With the exception of that golden retriever death song, PFR made mid-’90s alt-rock with the best of them. If Gin Blossoms still play state fairs, why not PFR?
Bloom-era Audio Adrenaline
Sure, “Big House” was their megahit, but who can forget their breezy 1997 album Bloom? AA even covered “Free Ride”! It was their attempt at classic rock.
The W’s
Isn’t it about time for swing dancing to make an ironic comeback?
The Original Newsboys
Fact: The best Newsboys albums were Going Public and Take Me To Your Leader (please note, that might be nostalgia talking). So why not reunite John James with Peter Furler and the whole gang? We need a reminder why there’s no breakfast in hell.
dc Talk
Like you wouldn’t pay to see this.
