Fest, an annual punk music festival, has gotten so big that this year it officially started with a Pre-Fest in Ybor City on Tuesday.
The festival has about 400 bands on its lineup — nearly 100 more than last year. Starting on Halloween, Fest 12 will be the longest running yet, with more than 2,500 people expected to attend.
“I think if you live in this town, even if you aren’t into the music, you know Fest is here,” said event organizer Tony Weinbender.
When he saw this year’s weekend included Halloween, he decided to extend the festival to four days. Bands will perform in 12 downtown venues, including the Florida Theater, the Atlantic and the Civic Media Center. Costumes are encouraged for the Halloween weekend.
Passes for Fest are still available and can be purchased at registration at the Holiday Inn. A four-day Fest pass costs $150. Walk-up tickets for individual venues range between $10 and $25.
Although it is referred to as a punk music festival, Weinbender, 37, stresses that there are too many types of music available at Fest to be pigeonholed, and a common thread among bands is that most are on independent labels.
“It’s an amazing showcase of the DIY music culture,” he said.
Over the years, Fest has brought bands like Streetlight Manifesto, Matt & Kim, Against Me, Frank Turner and Paint It Black to Gainesville.
“Many don’t realize that there is literally something for everyone,” said Austin Amodt, a 21-year-old UF history senior.
“Some of my friends think of Fest as the time of year when the streets are filled with PBR-drinking punks, but these stereotypes die hard,” he said. “As a member of an IFC fraternity who is currently applying to law schools, I may not appear as the stereotypical Fest goer, but this just shows the diversity of attendees that you can find.”
The fact that Fest has grown so big has more than just punk fans excited.
Rockeys Dueling Piano Bar will feature comedians on Saturday and Sunday. Kyle Kinane will be the headlining comic, and 17 other comedians are scheduled to perform.
For more than a decade, Weinbender has seen Fest mature and become a yearly tradition for some people.
He estimates Fest has a core of about 1,000 who show up every year to Gainesville to stay the weekend and to watch bands.
Ana Fajardo, a UF public relations junior, said she enjoys Fest because she gets to see friends from out of town.
“We can be smelly and crusty and spend all our money on merch together,” she said.
As word about Fest spread overseas, music lovers began coming from as far as Brazil, Japan and South Africa. Last year, 17 percent of attendees traveled from outside the United States.
Some Fests ago, a wedding party of 20 from Scotland visited Anthem Tattoo Parlor for Fest tattoos. The couple then got married at No Idea Records, the main sponsor of Fest, said Mike Salay, owner of Anthem Tattoo.
The No Idea stress face logo is a popular Fest souvenir.
This year, there are 25 to 50 designs Festers can get tattooed for the shop’s minimum price of $50.
The couple from Scotland are coming back for Fest this year with another tattoo appointment at Anthem.
“I think Fest fans, honestly, are just really good music fans,” Weinbender said. “They want to support these artists. They want to support this scene.”
A version of this story ran on page 7 on 10/31/2013 under the headline "Fest grows with more bands, attendees and volunteers"
All: Composed of three of the four members of the hugely influential punk band Descendents, All will be playing a show at the Florida Theater at 11:20 p.m. Sunday. The Wooly will be screening the documentary “Filmage: The Story of Descendants/All” Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Check out the song “Think the World” to get a feel for their music.
Andrew Jackson Jihad: This band reminds me of the summer between my senior year of high school and freshman year of college when I would drive for miles on the back roads with my hair caught in the wind. “People II 2: Still Peoplin’?” captures the combination of cynical lyrics with modern-punk melodies that come from this acoustic folk-punk band.
Laura Stevenson: Laura Stevenson is a folk songbird with punk roots. Formerly the keyboardist for Bomb the Music Industry!, her softer music will be a respite for your ringing ears at Rockeys at 11:40 p.m. “Montauk Monster” is a song that mixes her talents of singing and playing guitar.
–Emily Cardinali, Avenue Writer
