A perfect summer day of music in the park and whitewater rafting will take place during Dolores River Festival June 1.
Nine bands will perform between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. on two different stages set up at Joe Rowell Park. Admission is $25.
“It’s an amazing live music lineup for a great price,” said festival producer Sharon King. “All the bands are really good and appeal to a wide audience.”
Local and national acts are on tap, with a mix of world rhythms, reggae, funk, rock, country and Brazilian percussion.
The morning sets feature Seven Sharp, Afrobeatnicks and Samba Galactica, a 20-person drumming group. Throughout the festival, the drummers will wade into the audience to spur dancing and direct the crowd from stage to stage.
The afternoon features Side FX, Elder Grown, Groove Casters, the Garret T. Capps band, Flat Tire, Samba Galactica and Diggin Dirt.
Capps is a San Antonio-based country musician unafraid to let other influences creep into his tunes, according to his biography. His latest album, “Y Los Lonely Hipsters,” has garnered a cult following, and one song was featured on the hit television series “Billions.”
Diggin Dirt is also a big score for the festival. The California band cranks out the funk-reggae and rock music, sure to energize the crowd.
“They are really fun with a lot of horns,” King said.
Dirt began touring in spring 2017 throughout California and Oregon and was met with a tremendous response, according to a media release.
“A reputation of quality original music backed by high-energy performance grew around the Dirt’s name, and in turn inspired them to keep growing,” the release states.
The festival offers many other events as well. There will be free raft rides from Dolores River Boating Advocates from noon to 3 p.m. A bus will shuttle rafters to the put-in at Riverside Park, then experienced guides will take people down the river to a drop-off point at the festival grounds.
The traditional boaters parade will also take place, with locals dressing up in costumes and floating down the river. Also, there will be a supervised kid play area with games and events, relay races, face painting and a swimming pool.
Dozens of vendors, including for food and drinks, will serve festival-goers. The festival has a “Go Green” component this year. To avoid wasteful, single-use water bottles, a hydration station with free water will be available to fill reusable water bottles. Also, vendors cannot use Styrofoam.
Camping by reservation is available on the festival grounds, and there are RV spaces as well. Volunteers are also needed. Work a three-hour shift and get into the festival free, plus a drink ticket and T-shirt. After the festival, the party will continue at local bars The River and Dolores River Brewery, which will host live bands into the night.
For more information about the festival and to sign up to volunteer, visit the Dolores River Festival website.
jmimiaga@the-journal.com
