Rogue Wave heads MarmotFest

The KYRS Music Fest is returning again this year, but with a catchier name: MarmotFest.

Like last year, the festival will bring live music and family activities to the picturesque Glover Field in Peaceful Valley, and everything – from the sound system to the stage lights – will be entirely solar powered. Even the food trucks and beer garden are environmentally conscious, and the festival provides a bike corral for those who choose to pedal down. (See Page C15 for more on the festival’s kid-friendly activities.)

It’s the music, though, that really sets MarmotFest apart from your typical summer get-together. This year’s headliner is California indie rock band Rogue Wave, a major get for the festival, and organizer Lupito Flores said they’ve never played Spokane before. Also performing are established Seattle acts Fly Moon Royalty and the Hoot Hoots, and local favorites Floating Crowbar and Folkinception.

Another addition to this year’s festival is a smaller second stage that will be devoted to live acoustic performances and poetry readings, which will occur during the breaks of the main stage acts.

As the festival expands – and if it becomes an annual tradition, it will likely continue to get bigger – Flores says he anticipates more people attending. “We’re hoping to get a thousand,” he said. “That would be great. The park is pretty large, so we could probably fit 2,000 comfortably.”

Flores estimates that 600 people attended last year’s festival, which raised some $6,000 for KYRS. “It’s our biggest fundraiser outside of our on-air fund drives, which we do twice a year,” Flores said. “That’s really the whole idea. We’ve been thinking about this for years, a signature event that would replace a lot of the little fundraisers we do throughout the year. And it’s so much fun, highlighting the local music and talent.”

“It’s a great, fun family event, and there’s something for everyone,” Flores said.