FOLIOThe 15th annual music and arts festival ATHFEST will be held in downtown Athens, GA, June 22nd through June 26th, 2011. For the past 14 years, ATHFEST has showcased the best in local, regional, and nationally recognized Athens-based talent. The festival includes over 150 bands and artists on 3 outdoor stages and in over a dozen venues; KIDSFest; a juried artisan market; film events; a comedy showcase; Flagpole Music Awards; Wired Dance Festival and more! Everyday with Rachel Ray calls it “…one of the country’s great indie music festivals.” From 2005-2010, ATHFest has been included in the “TOP 20 Events” by the Southeast Tourism Society. The festival will be held rain or shine.
The music on the outdoor stages begins on Friday, June 24th 5:00 P.M and concludes at 8:00 P.M. on Sunday, June 26th. The “headlining” artists this year are FUTUREBIRDS, CENTRO-MATIC, GUADALCANAL DIARY, CHICKASAW MUDD PUPPIES, KEVN KINNEY BAND, NAPPY ROOTS, COL. BRUCE HAMPTON and JASON ISBELL & THE 400 UNIT. All performances on the outdoor stages are open to all ages and are free of charge to the public.
The evening’s “club crawl” takes place on Friday and Saturday night. Wristbands may be purchased for $15.00 in advance or for $20.00 at the festival that will give patrons access to The 40 Watt Club, Caledonia Lounge, Farm 225, Flicker Theatre, The Globe, Go Bar, Little Kings Shuffle Club, The Melting Point, New Earth Music Hall, Rye Bar, Ciné, The Bad Manor and The Globe. Music includes most genres of music, including Reptar, Washed Out, Modern Skirts, Five-Eight, Kuroma, Cinemechanica, The Jompson Brothers, The Orkids, The Corduroy Road, Jazzchronic, Ken Will Morton, and more. Venue age and capacity restrictions will apply. Select shows, including the Saturday at the 40 Watt Club, will require the ATHFEST wristband for entry. Electronic music is even represented with Wired 2011: Athens Dance Music Festival, featuring DJs, experimental hip-hop, and electro-house music, at New Earth Music Hall on Saturday from 4:00 PM until 2:00 AM on Sunday. The cover charge for Wired is $10.00 or $5.00 with a wristband.
The festival actually kicks off on Wednesday, June 22rd at 8:00 P.M. with LAUGHFest at the 40 Watt Club featuring comedians Dan Telfer, TJ Young, Chris Patton, Natalie Glaser, Matt Gilbert, Luke Fields, and Drew Dickerson. Tickets are $10.00 at the door and only $5.00 with an ATHFEST wristband.
FILMFest at Ciné also begins on June 22nd. Athens Picture Show, featuring locally produced videos, short and full-length films, includes: Sprockets Music and Video Show, TeenScreen, and the Short Film Program. Rock Docs, a series of new rock documentaries will include: “Athens Burning,” “Go Go Boots Episodes,” “The Secret To A Happy Ending,” “Firewall of Sound” and “Girls Rock!” Full details may be found at www.athenscine.com.
On Thursday, June 23rd at 8:00 PM, the Flagpole Music Awards will be held at the historic Morton Theatre presenting the winners of the Flagpole Magazine’s annual reader’s choice poll. The performers and presenters will be announced the week before the show.
KIDSFest, which includes its own performance stage, will be held on Hull Street on either side of Washington Street on Saturday, June 25th and Sunday, June 26th from 12:00 PM to 5:30 PM. Music appropriate for all ages will be presented as well as arts and crafts, inflatables, the Spider Jump and more. A small fee may apply to some activities.
Travel packages offer a variety of accommodations and include ATHFEST wristbands, ATHFEST 2011 compilation CDs, vouchers for T-shirts, and other cool AthFest gear delivered to your hotel.
AthFest, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Athens, Georgia. The organization is dedicated to music and arts education and produces annual events such as the Athens Music & Arts Festival and the Athens GA Half Marathon. Proceeds from these events and other fundraising efforts support AthFest Educates!- a year-round effort to bring music and arts education to local schools through a variety of different programs.
Follow FOLIO!