​HPR’s Music Festival Guide: 2015

By Diane Miller and Kayla Culver

Pump up the outdoor jams, festival season is coming.

We’ve compiled a list of the best music festivals within reasonable driving distance from Fargo. Whatever your tastes are -- dubstep, country, rock, folk, blues, hip-hop, Christian or jazz -- one of these music festivals is bound to suit your groove.

Tickets are about as cheap as they get at this time. So plan ahead and save some money this season.

Please note that most music festivals are welcome to all ages, but be sure to check their websites for additional information.

H: Headliners  •  T: Type  •  F: Fun Fact  •  P: Price  •  C: Camping  •  D: Drive time from Fargo • A: Number of attendees  •  W: Website

Mid West Music Fest • Winona, Minn. • April 23 to 25

H: DJ Abilities, Chastity Brown, Communist Daughter, Chris Koza, Toki Wright

T: Minnesota local

C: Multi-venue festival featuring more than 100 acts.

P: $25 to $75

C: No

D: 5.5 hour drive

W: midwestmusicfest.org

Winter’s Over Music Festival • Colfax and Abercrombie, N.D. • April 24 to 25

H: The4onthefloor, Keri Noble, Maiden Dixie, Tigirlily, Mike Holtz

T: Rock, pop, country, local

F: Proceeds benefit the Abercrombie Fire Dept.

P: $20 to $60

C: No

D: 38 minutes

W: wintersovermusicfestival.com

Check out our mini feature on Winter's Over Music Festival below.

Homegrown Festival • Duluth, Minn. • April 26 to May 3

H: Trampled By Turtles, Charlie Parr, Actual Wolf, Jaw Knee VeeT: Duluth-based, local music

F: Multi-venue festival throughout Duluth.

P: $5 to $25

C: No

D: 4.5 hour drive

W: duluthhomegrown.org

Revival • Harmony Park, Minn. • May 22 to 24

H: Xavier Rudd & The United Nations, Railroad Earth, Dopapod

T: Jam band, roots, electronica

F: Formerly known as Bella Music Festival; includes local groups O’fosho, Sovereign Sect and Hardwood Groove.

P: $130

C: Yes

D: 4.5 hour drive

A: 2,500

W: harmony-revival.com

Soundset • Shakopee, Minn. • May 24

H: J Cole, Ice Cube, Ludacris, Big Sean, Atmosphere

T: Rap, hip-hop

F: Last year’s event sold out in advance; Nas headlined.

P: $62

C: No

D: 3.5 hour drive

A: 30,000

W: soundsetfestival.com

BloomTown Music Festival • Waubun, Minn. • June 4 to 7

H: Eoto, Shpongle, Papadosio, The Werks

T: Electronica, jam band 

P: $120 to $250 

C: Yes

D: 1 hour drive

W: facebook.com/BloomTownMusicFestival

Check out our mini feature on Bloomtown below.

Kick’n Up Kountry Music Festival • Karlstad, Minn. • June 10 to 13

H: Rodney Atkins, Dustin Lynch, Jon Pardi, Hairball

T: Country, rock

P: $70 to $525 

C: Yes

D: 2.5 hour drive 

W: kicknupkountry.com

Blue Ox Festival • Eau Claire, Wis. • June 11 to 13

H: Yonder Mountain String Band, Del McCoury Band, Justin Townes Earle, Sam Bush

T: Bluegrass, Americana

F: Hosted by Pert Near Sandstone; First-ever event

P: $150 to $225

C: Yes

D: 4.75 hour drive

W: blueoxmusicfestival.com

Nisswa-stämman Scandinavian Folk Music Festival • Nisswa, Minn. • June 12 to 13

H: Vikes Kalles Kapell, Jonas Akerlund, Sindre Fotland, Harald Haugaard

T: Scandinavian

P: $12 to $18

C: No

D: 2.5 hour drive

W: nisswastamman.org

Winstock • Winsted, Minn. • June 12 to 13

H: Alabama, The Band Perry, Jake Owen, Eli Young Band

T: Country

F: Last year, Toby Keith performed in the pouring rain.

P: $100 to $165

C: Camping tickets are sold out

D: 3.15 hour drive

W: winstockfestival.com

Moondance Jammin Country • Walker, Minn. • June 19 to 21

H: Florida Georgia Line, Chris Young, Phil Vassar, Thomas Rhett

T: Country

P: $100 to $375

C: Yes

D: 2 hour drive

A: 10,000+

W: jammincountry.com

605 Summer Classic • Sioux Falls, S.D. • June 19 to 20

H: Cloud Cult, Caroline Smith, The Kickback, American Scarecrows, Later Babes

T: Local, alternative

F: Rare opportunity to see Cloud Cult.

P: $10 to $15

C: No

D: 3.5 hour drive

W: 605summerclassic.com

Rock The Garden • Minneapolis • June 20 to 21

H: Modest Mouse, Belle and Sebastian, Conor Oberst, Courtney Barnett

T: Indie, alternative

F: Presented by The Walker Art Center and Minnesota Public Radio.

P: $64 to $350

C: No

D: 3.5 hour drive

W: thecurrent.org/collection/rock-the-garden

Lakes Jam • Brainerd, Minn. • June 25 to 27

H: Boston, Loverboy, Jerrod Niemann, Lee Brice, Chase Rice

T: Rock, country

P: $55 to $420

C: Yes

D: 2.5 hour drive

W: lakesjam.com

Twin Cities Jazz Festival • Twin Cities, Minn. • June 25 to 27

H: Nicholas Payton, David Sanchez, Cassandra Wilson, Charlie Lincoln

T: Jazz

P: Varies on location

C: No

D: 3.5 hours

A: 30,000, combined

W: twincitiesjazzfestival.com

Built To Last • Morristown, Minn. • June 26 to 27

H: Dark Star Orchestra, The Motet, The Jones Gang, Pat Lenertz Band

T: Jam band, bluegrass

P: $60 to $150

C: Yes

D: 4 hours

W: builttolastfest.localtickets.com

Northern Lights Music Festival • Aurora, Minn. • June 28 to July 19

H: NLMF Orchestra, staff and students

T: Classical

P: $10 to $25, per show

C: No

D: 4.5 hour drive

W: northernlightsmusic.org

Winnipeg Folk Fest • Winnipeg, MB • July 9 to 12

H: Wilco, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, Jenny Lewis, Jose Gonzalez

T: Folk, roots, alternative

P: $58 to $235

C: Yes

D: 3.5 hour drive, passport required

A: 20,000+

W: winnipegfolkfestival.ca

Check out our mini feature on Winnipeg Folk Fest below.

Rock the Groundz • Morris, Minn. • July 10 to 11

H: Sweet Siren, 69 Cents, Rock Godz

T: Top 40 cover bands

P: $20 to $60

C: Yes

D: 1.75 hour drive

W: rockthegroundz.com

Geneva Lake Jam • Clarks Grove, Minn. • July 10 to 11

H: Momentary Lapse of Floyd, The Heard, Natty Nation

T: Jam band, rock

P: $50 to $150

C: Yes

D: 4.5 hour drive

W: mjgpro.com

Basilica Block Party • Minneapolis • July 10 to 11

H: Weezer, O.A.R., Wilco, Motion City Soundtrack

T: Pop, rock, alternative

F: A portion of the event's proceeds benefit those in need.

P: $45 to $100

C: No

D: 3.5 hour drive

A: 25,000

W: basilicablockparty.org

Moondance Jam • Walker, Minn. • July 16 to 18

H: Nickelback, Shinedown, The Doobie Brothers, Peter Frampton, Papa Roach

T: Rock, classic rock

P: $115 to $525

C: Yes

D: 2 hour drive

A: 22,000

W: moondancejam.com

Check out our mini feature on Moondance Jam below.

Sonshine • Somerset, Wis. • July 16 to 18

H: Skillet, Newsboys, Lecrae, Colton Dixon, Natalie Grant

T: Christian

P: $70

F: Sonshine started in Willmar, Minn. in 1982.

C: Yes

D: 4 hour drive

A: 20,000

D: sonshinefestival.com

Eaux Claires • Eau Claire, Wis. • July 17 to 18

H: Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, The National, PHOX, Poliça, Sylvan Esso

T: Alternative/indie

F: Inaugural festival created by Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon; Bon Iver’s first show in years.

P: $135 to $250

C: Yes

D: 4.75 hour drive

W: eauxclaires.com

Bayfront Reggae & World Music Festival • Duluth, Minn. • July 18

H: To be announced

T: Reggae, world

P: $25 to $49

C: Yes

D: 4.5 hour drive

W: bayfrontreggae.com

Warped Tour • Shakopee, Minn. • July 26

H: We Came As Romans, Attila, Memphis May Fire, August Burns Red, A+ Dropouts

T: Punk, rock, hip hop

F: Warped Tour is the largest traveling music festival in the U.S. It’s also one of the most affordable.

P: $35

C: No

D: 3.5 hours

A: 15,000

W: vanswarpedtour.com

WE Fest • Detroit Lakes, Minn. • Aug. 6 to 8

H: Rascal Flatts, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley

T: Country

F: One of the biggest country music festivals in the world.

P: $135

C: Yes

D: 45 minute drive

A: 48,000+

W: wefest.com

Big Wu Family Reunion • Morristown, Minn. • Aug. 6 to 8

H: Big Wu, All Mighty Senators, Dumpstaphunk, Kanser

T: Jam band, folk, rock

P: $50 early bird passes

C: Yes

D: 4 hour drive

W: bigwufamilyreunion.com

Bayfront Blues Fest • Duluth, Minn. • Aug. 7 to 9

H: NRBQ, Otis Clay, Frank Bay and the Anthony Paule Band, Mud Morganfield

T: Blues

P: $40 to $99

C: No

D: 4.5 hour drive

A: 19,000+

W: bayfrontblues.com

Summer Set • Somerset, Wis. • Aug. 14 to 16

H: Bassnectar, Big Gigantic, Deadmau5, The Weeknd

T: Electronica, hip-hop

F: There’s a Ferris wheel.

P: $150

C: Yes

D: 4 hour drive

A: 18,000+

W: summersetfestival.com

Fargo Blues Fest • Newman Outdoor Field, Fargo • Aug. 14 to 15

H: Joe Lewis Walker, The Fabulous Thunderbirds featuring Kim Wilson, Tab Benoit

T: Blues

F: The festival will celebrate 20 years this August.

C: Yes

D: Minutes away

W: fargobluesfest.com

Off the Charts Music Festival • Cavalier, N.D. • Aug. 15

H: For King & Country, Moriah Peters, Luminate, Loftland

T: Christian, pop

F: The only free music festival on the list; features a Grammy-winning headliner.

P: Free

C: Yes

D: 2.15 hour drive

W: offthechartsnd.com

Lakes Bluegrass Festival • Pine River, Minn. • Aug. 26 to 30

H: Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, Becky Buller, Tommy Brown and County Line, and Nightflyer

T: Bluegrass, folk

F: One of Flamekeeper’s members is a 9-time “Fiddle Player of the Year” award winner.

P: $16 to $40

C: Yes

D: 2.5 hour drive

A: 3,000+

W: lakesbluegrassfestival.com

Roots on the Red • Bluestem, Moorhead • Aug. 29

H: To be announced

T: Folk, Americana, bluegrass

F: Last year’s lineup included Steep Canyon Rangers, Steve Earle and Ryan Bingham.

C: No

D: Minutes away

W: rootsonthered.com

Tewaukon Music Festival • Havana, N.D. • Sept. 5

H: Kat Perkins, Tigirlily, Jessie Veeder, 2 Mile Final

T: Pop, country

F: Located near the ND/SD border on a beautiful prairie landscape.

C: No

D: 1.75 hour drive

W: cdplodge.com/events/tewaukon-music-festival-95

Shangri-La • Harmony Park, Minn. • Sept. 10 to 12

H: WookieFoot, Tribal Seeds, Rising Appalachia, Nahko And Medicine For The People

T: Jam band, electronica, folkF: Formerly known as Harvest Fest; hosted by WookieFoot.

P: $130

C: Yes

D: 4.5 hour drive

W: shangrilafest.com

Boats and Bluegrass • Winona, Minn. • Sept. 24 to 27

H: Los Lobos, Horses and Handgrenades, Mandolin Orange, Dead Man Winter

T: Bluegrass, folk, alternative

F: Yes, festivalgoers can go boating on the Mississippi at this festival.

P: $127

C: Yes

D: 5.5 hour drive

W: boatsandbluegrass.com

Palomino Music Festival • Shakopee, Minn. • September (TBA)

H: Trampled By Turtles, Father John Misty, Dr. Dog, Calexico

T: Roots, alternative

F: Trampled By Turtles’ very own festival

P: Around $50

C: No

D: 3.5 hour drive

W: festivalpalomino.com

****We’ll keep the guide up to date as more headliners, pricings, etc are announced. Send us any suggestions or possible corrections to diane@hpr1.com

We interviewed a few awesome festival organizers too...

BloomTown

Dubstep, electronica, jam band and reggae fans will be blooming come June.

More than 40 acts are set to perform for the third annual BloomTown Music and Arts Festival. While most of the performers are from Minnesota and Wisconsin, one headlining act, Shpongle, is coming all the way from the United Kingdom. Also, headliner Eoto, a side project of The String Cheese Incident, is based out of Colorado.

“This is my dream lineup,” said Michael Jordan, BloomTown’s founder. “It’s been an accumulation over these last three years to get to this lineup … year one, they don’t give you these acts. You have to earn it.”

The festival, located just 70 miles outside of Fargo, also includes local groups O’fosho, Sovereign Sect and OB Juan and The Amigos.

Aside from providing quality music, BloomTown will also have camping, live art, yoga, interactive workshops, artistic stage designs and elaborate light shows.

Festival organizers are going out of their way to make BloomTown environmentally friendly too. All food vendors must serve meals with compostable material. Self-composting porta-potties will be on-site. All trash will be sorted by hand after the fest.

“It’s all about throwing a small quality event with a high level of production,” Jordan said. “Versus going to WE Fest or Summer Set, where you’re one and 20,000, here we have 1,000 to 2,000 people. Everybody gets to meet everybody.”

Winter’s Over Music Festival

The very first Winter’s Over Music Festival has more Fargo-Moorhead acts than any other festival listed -- so far.

F-M acts Mike Holtz, Ska Skank Redemption, Todd Sisson and SOund will join a number of familiar Minneapolis groups, including Keri Noble, The4onthefloor and Communist Daughter.

“There’s a wide range of ages that can really appreciate all these different bands,” said Alexis Bevre, founder of Winter’s Over.

Bevre, a former resident of Minneapolis, created Winter’s Over to bring new music to her small town of Abercrombie, N.D.

“There’s really not a lot of things to do locally with my kids. So I just thought, it’s the same bands that play at everything, so let’s bring in new people,” Bevre said.

The first day of the festival will be held at Crooked Lane Farm, just eight miles outside of Abercrombie. The second day will be at the Abercrombie Park. Each day will have activities for children.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the Abercrombie Fire Department.

“They’ve been really great,” Bevre said. “They jumped on board right away and said they’d help with anything they can.”

Moondance Jam and Moondance Jammin Country

Two of Minnesota’s biggest music festivals are just two hours away from the F-M area.

Moondance Jam, a rock fest, and Moondance Jammin Country, a country fest, are run by founder Kathy Bieloh and a team of more than 20 people.

“It’s just so surreal to realize just how big it really is and how small our little organization is,” Bieloh said. “The festival itself is just huge.”

Moondance Jam, which is going into its 24th year, is especially massive. This year’s headliners include Nickelback and Peter Frampton. Past headliners have included Journey, Pat Benatar and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Moondance Jammin Country, in its ninth year, is about half the size of the rock fest. Though Bieloh said she expects this year to be bigger than ever.

“(Country acts) are so fun to work with,” she said. “The rock acts can be really tough to work with, most of them are.”

However, the staff is well known for taking great care of the performers and festivalgoers. It’s certainly a big reason the two festivals have been able to continuously bring in world-famous talent. It’s part of the legacy that Bieloh’s husband and festival co-founder, the late Bill Bieloh, left on the festival.

“Since I lost my husband the staff really had to kick into gear,” Bieloh said. “They’ve really taken care of their departments.”

Most of all, the festival is about having fun, Bieloh said.

“We are very, very family oriented,” she continued. “You’ll get to know your neighbors that you are camping with.”

Winnipeg Folk Fest

Fargoans and Moorheadians who have passports may want to consider traveling to Canada for the Winnipeg Folk Fest, a multi-faceted event with some top-shelf music acts.

“We do live in a geographically isolated area of the country. And it gives us an opportunity to bring a lot of musicians to the festival that wouldn’t otherwise perform in the city of Winnipeg,” said Chris Frayer, the artistic director.

Popular Chicago-based act Wilco, for example, is returning to Winnipeg for the first time in six years.

And while not all groups play strictly folk music, most of them have some connectivity to the genre. Performer Jenny Lewis, for example, comes from folk roots but has a distinctly indie-rock sound.

“Folk music is always maintained,” Frayer said. “The orbital stuff can be pushing the envelope, but you have to take some risks.”

The festival grounds are quite beautiful, artistic and provincial. They include seven daytime stages and two evening stages. A few stages are located deep in the woods.

Camping, workshops, an artisan village and plenty of great food options are also included at the festival.

Frayer noted the American dollar is higher in value than the Canadian dollar. He estimated the cost of camping and 4-day festival pass would cost just over $200 for Americans.

What does Frayer compare Winnipeg Folk Fest to? “It’s kind of like a blend of the Newport Folk and Bonnaroo and Burning Man, to some degree, but it’s just distinctly Canadian and Manitoban.”