The War and Treaty, The Accidentals, Hannah Wicklund, The Rebel Eves and more are on the Saturday docket, with In the Valley Below playing a pre-party. All the details at Local Spins.
Headlining Fair Ground: The much-celebrated War and Treaty. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
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Take it from Sav Buist, aka Sav Madigan, of The Accidentals, the popular Michigan-bred alt-folk band that was instrumental in helping launch the inaugural edition of the Fair Ground Festival in Hastings last summer.
“Fair Ground has all the bands we wish we had time to go see; the lineup is a bucket list,” she asserted. “They’re proving that women can sell tickets on the festival circuit where most festivals are majority male lineups.
“I think people everywhere should support that. They are truly bringing in some of the best touring bands and paying a fair wage to support diversity and inclusivity.”
The second-year festival taking place on the grounds of the Barry Expo Center certainly has snagged one of the hottest acts touring the country these days, and one that got its start in Michigan: The War & Treaty will headline this weekend’s event after opening this summer for the likes of The Rolling Stones, playing several major festivals and appearing on national TV.
The Barry County Expo Center Site for Fair Ground. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
The soulful, award-winning Americana band led by Michael and Tanya Trotter closes out the festival at 8:55 p.m., right after The Accidentals, who also will serve as the backing band for South Carolina rocker Hannah Wicklund at 6:15 p.m.
“We’ve never played a show with War and Treaty and it’s totally time to remedy that,” Buist added, noting The Accidentals will perform songs from their new “Cover Art” release.
Filling out the Saturday bill will be Bailen, Alanna Royale, The Rebel Eves (also Michigan-based) and Joy Clark. And this year, the event actually kicks off with a pre-party at 7 p.m. Friday, starring Grand Rapids indie-rock/electro-pop band In the Valley Below (which is promoting its new studio album, “The Black Moon”) with The Burney Sisters opening the show.
“We’re stoked about Fair Ground Fest’s mission to be female-powered in their booking,” said Katie Pederson of The Rebel Eves, an Americana super-group which also features Grace Theisen and Jilian Linklater.
“We talk a lot during our shows about women being historically under-represented both in music composition and production, as well as in booking for festivals like this, so we love to see when promoters are doing a great job of being more mindful about inclusivity for their stage rosters. We’re honored to be a part of this year’s lineup.”
Pederson added that “every single group that will be on that stage has insane talent” and that The Rebel Eves have long yearned to open for The War and Treaty. “It’s gonna be a great day all around.”
Hosted by the Thornapple Arts Council of Barry County, the festival this year moved up its date from August to the last weekend in July. Check out the festival essentials, full schedule and a playlist below.
FAIR GROUND FESTIVAL ESSENTIALS
The Accidentals in 2023 (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
WHERE: Barry County Expo Center, 1350 M-37, Hastings
WEBSITE: https://thornapplearts.org/fairground/
THE DRIVE: 39 minutes (32 miles) southeast of Grand Rapids
49 minutes (43 miles) northeast of Kalamazoo
2 hours, 18 minutes (136 miles) west of Detroit
1 hour, 1 minute (49 miles) west of Lansing
2 hours, 48 minutes (173 miles) south of Traverse City
TICKETS: $50 adults, $25 children 4-10, $5 parking pass, $200 VIP, $30 camping; Friday pre-party, $20. Tickets available online here.
FAIR GROUND FESTIVAL 2024: The Local Spins Playlist
FAIR GROUND FESTIVAL 2024: The Schedule
VIDEO: Fair Ground Festival 2023 (By Local Spins)
View coverage of the 2023 festival at Local Spins here.
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