Hip-hop group Atmosphere and indie rock band American Authors will headline the city’s eighth incarnation of Freakfest, organizers of the event announced Monday.
The Nov. 1 festival will feature 16 total bands over three stages in the State Street area.
Minneapolis based Atmosphere’s strong local following made them an attractive option to headline the festival, according to Tag Evers of Frank Productions, the group which organizes Freakfest.
“Atmosphere is a legend around here and Madison is one of their strongest markets,” Evers said. “There are also a lot of students from the Twin Cities and that is another reason why we booked them.”
The selection of American Authors, on the other hand, underscored a desire to reach out to different types of concert-goers.
“American Authors has one of the top songs of the summer in “Best Day of My Life” and seem like a good fit,” Evers said. “We want to appeal to all different types of music fans, so we came up with two different artists who appeal to two different audiences.”
While national bands will serve as the headliners, regional and local bands will very remain a part of the festival. Madison-based Catch Kid, Sky Urchin, Dense City and Midas Bison will all appear on the WSUM stage.
Thirty-five thousand people packed State Street last year to watch groups such as Matt and Kim and Chiddy Bang. Evers expects this year’s attendance to rival those numbers.
“Freakfest is one of the largest public events held in Madison each year and the town always looks forward to and supports the festival,” Evers said. “We’re happy and pleased with the lineup and the response so far has been very positive.”
Tickets to Freakfest are $8 in advance, $12 at the door and will be available at numerous shops on State Street. More information about the festival can be found on the Freakfest website.
