The ninth annual street party will pack the area around Founders Brewing and showcase acts that have played the taproom previously. See the full schedule for Saturday’s festival.
Giant Street Party: Founders Fest returns to Grand Rapids on Saturday. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Founders Brewing calls it “Grand Rapids’ biggest keg party.”
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On Saturday, they’ll tap plenty of kegs for the ninth time at Founders Fest, which uncorks a day-long celebration of music and beer that boasts a lineup of bands from across the country – and Michigan – who’ve previously graced the brewery’s taproom stage.
The 2016 Schedule: Save this image on your smartphone to take along.
The one-day festival that’s grown since its inception will once again occupy Grandville Avenue SW and other streets around Founders Brewing, attracting 6,000 or more revelers in one of Grand Rapids’ biggest annual street parties.
“The festival’s footprint and overall message remains the same, thanking the local community for their years of support, and throwing what festival director Mark Dorich likes to call ‘Grand Rapids’ biggest keg party,’” said Founders Brewing entertainment and event manager Joey Basch.
The biggest star of the day will naturally be Founders award-winning craft beer, but the festival also aims to honor its second biggest love: music.
This year’s festival will put an even bigger emphasis on the live music that’s helped make Founders one of the most successful breweries in Michigan.
“This is the first time that each band performing at the Founders Fest has previously played a show in our taproom, speaking to the growth of each act’s individual brand (and ours), and the strength and importance of relationship and community,” said Basch.
The Motet
Saturday’s lineup boasts a combination of local, regional and national music acts that will perform throughout the day on two stages just outside Founders in downtown Grand Rapids. The lineup features funk and jazz group The Motet, soul and R&B collective Lee Fields & The Expressions, Chicago funk-rock band The Main Squeeze, country-blues trio The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band and – for the first time at Founders Fest – Kalamazoo twang-rockers The Go Rounds.
The Go Rounds will get the party started at 3:15 p.m. and lead singer/guitarist Graham Parsons couldn’t be more excited about the band’s Founders Fest debut.
“It’s so refreshing to feel valued by a venue as opposed to feeling like a pain in the ass,” said the frontman. “Founders always takes great care of artists.”
The Go Rounds (Photo/Anna Sink)
The Go Rounds have become staples of West Michigan’s live music community thanks to four full-length albums, three EPs and a wisely crafted country-folk and rock and roll sound the band calls “twang rock and jelly-roll.”
The band may share some tracks from its latest album, released in September 2015, but a majority of Saturday’s performance will feature songs from upcoming EPs set for release this summer and fall, and even more material from The Go Rounds’ next full-length album to be recorded beginning in November.
Advance tickets for the street festival are currently on sale for $30 and tickets for Mug Club members are $20. The 21-and-over event begins 3 p.m. Saturday and runs until 11 p.m. More details about the festival and tickets can be found at the Founders website.
Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC
