Thousands of music lovers from all over the world will flock to downtown Gainesville tonight for The Fest, Gainesville’s annual punk rock music festival.
The Fest 9, which will be held tonight through Sunday, is scheduled to have nearly 300 artists performing at various venues.
“Last year we had close to 100 attendees from the United Kingdom,” said Tony Weinbender, publicist for No Idea Records and organizer of The Fest. “Seventy-two percent of the attendees come from out of the state of Florida. Music travels further than just our little area.”
Since its start in 2002, The Fest has had eight festivals and has grown in terms of both the number of artists performing and the number of attendees.
While many bands played last year, new bands were selected through an online application process.
“We had 651 bands apply online this year and out of that we picked around 30,” Weinbender said.
Many of the bands performing are signed with No Idea Records, a Gainesville record label that has released albums for bands such as Against Me! and Less Than Jake.
This year’s headliners include Strike Anywhere, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and A Wilhelm Scream. The artists will perform at restaurants, bars and clubs downtown.
Weinbender said he expects more than 5,000 people to attend this year.
Boca Fiesta, a Mexican restaurant and bar, will be one of the venues hosting artists for The Fest 9. Keeth Boyle, a manager, has been preparing for the increase in business.
“It’s all in our heads right now,” he said. “If every weekend was like that, it would be pretty fun. Being busy is a good problem to have.”
Weekend passes may be purchased today and Saturday for $80. They will be sold from noon to 9 p.m. at The Fest 9 registration located at the Holiday Inn on West University Avenue. Tickets may also be purchased for individual shows at the doors of the venue. While some shows are free, others cost up to $20. For a detailed schedule with ticket prices, visit www.thefestfl.com/fest9schedule.html.
