After a one-year hiatus, the two-day electronic/pop festival at Belknap Park will also feature Gryffin, Madeon, Big Wild and Chelsea Cutler. Learn more about this summer’s Breakaway and Upheaval Fests.
Returning to GR: Quinn XCII, shown on stage at 20 Monroe Live, will play Belknap Park in August. (Photo/Jamie Geysbeek)
After a one-year hiatus forced by the COVID pandemic, Grand Rapids’ Breakaway Music Festival will burst out of the gates in August with electronic- and pop-fueled fury.
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
Denver producer and electronic/dance artist Illenium will headline Friday’s opening salvo on Aug. 27, with Detroit native and pop/hip hop/soul/electronic star Quinn XCII closing out Saturday night’s lineup, organizers announced on Thursday.
Friday’s bill will also feature sets by DJ and “melodic house” artist Gryffin, dance/electronic act Big Wild, dance music artist Elderbrook and techno/house duo Gettoblaster, featuring Detroit’s Paul Anthony and Chicago’s Zach Bletz.
Saturday’s set will include electro-pop-house star Madeon, pop’s Chelsea Cutler, EDM’s Loud Luxury, producer/pop artist Alexander 23, electronic musician/DJ Frank Walker and DummXnd, the rap moniker for former Detroit Piston star Andre Drummond.
Festival Fervor
Geared toward pop, EDM, dance and hip hop acts, Breakaway Music Festival debuted in Grand Rapids in 2017 with performances by Travis Scott, Zedd, Waka Flocka Flame and R.L. Grime.
Two-day passes for the Aug. 27-28 festival are $99.99 and available online here. VIP passes are $189.99.
Michigan product Quinn XCII has seen a meteoric rise in popularity the past two years, being named one of Rolling Stone magazine’s 2020 “Breakthrough Artists.” His fourth album, “Change of Scenery,” recently soaring to No. 1 on the Apple iTunes pop chart after its release. He last revved up Grand Rapids fans in March 2019 when he played a sold-out show at 20 Monroe Live.
Illenium, meanwhile, has racked up more than 4 billion collective streams with his crossover electronic music thanks to fans identifying themselves as “Illenials” and hits such as “Takeaway” and “Hearts on Fire.”
Prime Social Group – which also hosts Breakaway festivals in Cancun, Mexico, Columbus, Ohio, and Charlotte, N.C. – partners with MiEntertainment Group to produce the Grand Rapids edition of the music festival.
BELKNAP PARK ALSO SET TO HOST UPHEAVAL FESTIVAL IN JULY
MiEntertainment also co-produces another music festival slated for Belknap Park this summer: The hard rock/metal Upheaval Festival, which will make its debut July 16-17.
Korn headlines Friday’s lineup, which also includes Chevelle, Avatar, Joyous Wolf, Gemini Syndrome, Royal Bliss, Lansing’s Assume Nothing, and Grand Rapids’ own The Legal Immigrants and Deadlight Holiday.
Rob Zombie headlines Saturday’s roster, with Staind, Skillet, Like a Storm, Blacktop Mojo, Stitched Up Heart, Heartsick (Lansing), Vestigial (Grand Rapids) and Blue Felix also on the bill.
Heartsick (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
Two-day tickets currently are priced at $99, available online here.
Organizers say they’re hoping updated health department COVID restrictions will allow them to expand capacity and proceed with both festivals safely.
“Our team is working with health officials on the reopening of outdoor entertainment venues,” said Jenna Meyer of MiEntertainment Group.
“It was exciting to see the Detroit Tigers have 8,000 fans in person, and have laid the groundwork for others to follow. We are optimistic about the trajectory of vaccinations coinciding with easing capacity restrictions and expect to have more updates in the coming weeks.”
She added: “Safety is our number one priority and we are working closely with officials to determine the health and safety requirements for large gatherings in July. We will be providing an update on 2021 festival protocols very soon; fans can expect to hear more from us by early June so they can plan accordingly.”
Fans who purchased tickets for what was supposed to be the inaugural Upheaval Festival in 2020 can use them for this year’s event.
Copyright 2021, Spins on Music LLC
