The UO Cultural Forum will host the Willamette Valley Music Festival on Saturday, May 9. The event starts at noon and is free and open to the public.
The festival offers a wide variety of genres to enjoy, from progressive rock, funk, hip-hop and bluegrass to one band described as “blues/soul/opera/punk.”
Most of the performances cull from Eugene acts, including country group Alder Street Allstars, electronic artist Tetra Bomb and the aforementioned “opera/punk” of Pancho and the Factory.
“We started the band wanting to play festivals and the outdoors with that kind of energy,” said Dylan Campbell, bassist for Eugene rock band Pluto the Planet, “The whole thing is really well set up and we’re excited to play it again.”
The festival has also drawn artists from outside of Lane County, including Seattle-based bands Lures and Crater, but the headliners mostly come from the realm of electronic music. DJ Aaron Jackson, Ashland EDM duo SugarBeats and Los Angeles producer Jaycode are this year’s biggest acts. SugarBeats have performed alongside Snoop Dogg, while Jaycode’s work has been supported by superstar electronic artists like Skrillex and DJ Snake.
The concerts will be held on two different stages, one at Gilbert Plaza in front of Lillis Hall and the other at the Erb Memorial Union amphitheater. Nonmusical activities, including craft working, hula hooping and swing dancing, will take place at the memorial quad north of the Knight Library..
A new addition this year is a beer and wine garden. A charitable event benefiting the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, the garden is allowed to serve 900 glasses of beer and wine between noon and 10 p.m. or when the 900-glass limit is reached.
Food will be available at the annual ASUO Street Fair on 13th Avenue between University and Kincaid streets. More information can be found at: http://wvmf.uoregon.edu/
—By Nathan Stevens, Public Affairs Communications intern