The end of October always signifies a very important time in Gainesville. Every year there’s a slew of Halloween parties around the city, midterms are only a few short weeks away, and most importantly the Florida Georgia rivalry game is upon us. However, unbeknownst to most UF students there is another huge annual tradition that takes place around this time right in their own backyard. For the last 12 years, The Fest, which has evolved into one of the biggest punk music festivals in the world, has been coming to downtown Gainesville, and bringing with it a plethora of underground bands and hordes of music lovers from around the world.
When it originated in 2001, The Fest took place over two days and boasted a lineup of 60 bands that played on four different stages throughout Gainesville. Over the last 11 year the event has grown exponentially. Case in point, This year’s Fest is going to take place over four days, use 12 venues, and feature over 300 bands. Among them are the likes of The Dopamines, Red City Radio, Big D and the Kids Table, Mustard Plug, A Wilhelm Scream, The Menzingers, Larry and His Flask, Andrew Jackson Jihad, and of course many more. If last year’s attendance numbers are anything to go by, downtown Gainesville will again be filled with more than 10,000 Fest goers most of whom are from out of state. In fact, more than 70 percent of the ticket sales from last year were from out of state attendees and 17 percent were from non-US residents.
A full four day pass for The Fest, which will be from Oct. 31 through Nov. 3, costs $130. As Gainesville residents students are also offered a special opportunity to volunteer by working a seven to eight hour shift for The Fest in exchange for a free full pass and an exclusive Fest 12 shirt. If you’re interested visit www.thefestfl.com/fest12/volunteer. The official signups will be on Oct. 7 at 7:00 p.m. and will be held on the second floor of the Holiday Inn on the corner of University and 13th Street.
