STATE COLLEGE — Downtown State College Improvement District’s 10th annual Summer’s Best Music Fest will feature 27 artists, including 10 national touring acts, and will now last for two days, Friday, June 3, and Saturday, June 4, and include a beer garden.
Featured national artists this year include The Record Company, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, The Stickers, Doyle Bramhall II, Sierra Hole and others.
The Record Company will playon the main stage from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday, June 3. The Los Angeles-based band made their television debut on Conan O’Brien’s TBS late-night talk show on March 7.
Hailing from the Catskill Mountains, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds will perform their rock ‘n’ roll sound on the main stage, also on Friday, June 3, from 8:15 to 9:30 p.m.
The Stickers, whose latest song “Countrified” has been rising on the charts and will be featured on ABC’s “Nashville” on April 13, will be playing on Saturday, June 4, from 2 to 3:30 p.m., also on the main stage.
According to George Arnold, executive director of the Downtown State College Improvement District, the goal of the event is to “bring a little energy into downtown State College” during a slower period in the year.
As the festival works toward becoming self-sustaining, it has taken the step of becoming a partially ticketed event. Attendees now must have tickets to access both the Garner Main Stage and the Garner Side Stage. Tickets currently are available at early-bird prices on the festival’s website, with a two-day ticket costing $25, a Friday-only ticket costing $10 and a Saturday-only ticket costing $20. Ticket prices will increase on Friday, April 15.
In addition to purchasing on the website, attendees can purchase tickets at the event. Performances at the Locust Lane Stage, Locust Lot Stage and Calder Acoustic Stage remain free.
DSCID also worked with leaders in the community to garner support for the new beer garden. There will be two locations to buy beer and malt beverages, one by the Garner Main Stage and one on Locust Lane, and a blocked-off area where attendees will be allowed to carry their purchased alcohol.
“In looking at how we could get the event to be self-sustaining, one of the key factors for music festivals everywhere is the ability to be able to provide beer in the festival environment,” said Arnold.
The 2016 festival is expected to grow from 3,000 to 4,000 attendees in previous years to 6,000 to 8,000 attendees.
