A Guide To River's Edge Music Festival
Heading out to River's Edge Music Festival this weekend? Well, there's a few things you may want to know before you go.
The inaugural two-day festival will feature more than 30 artists at the historic Harriet Island on June 23-24. The concert kicks off a five-year agreement with the city to continue the festival each summer.
Jon Reens, senior director of marketing of Midwest Music for Live Nation, said they wanted to start it off with a bang, so they're bringing four stages and packing the weekend with non-stop entertainment.
"There's really something for everybody each day and it was done that way purposely," he said. "Our hopes is that people come out, really enjoy themselves and see the quality of entertainment that's being provided. I don't think you can find a more beautiful site and the city of St. Paul has been great to work with. Our goal is to make this a destination festival."
Here's how it all breaks down:
Artists
Saturday, June 23
Headliner: Tool
Sublime with Rome
Brand New
Motion City Soundtrack
Coheed and Cambria
Datsik
Scissor Sisters
Blaqstarr
Kinky
Whigs
Gardens & Villa
An Horse
Quietdrive
Yawn
The Rope
Sunday, June 24
Headliner: Dave Matthews Band
The Flaming Lips
Puscifer
Polica
AWOLNATION
Diplo
MuteMath
Delta Spirit
K.Flay
AM & Shawn Lee
Mexican Institute of Sound
Civil Twilight
Hey Rosetta!
Kids These Days
Yuna
Check it out: Both days of Rivers Edge will feature something called Silent Disco by SilentArena -- two DJs playing house music in one tent. Participants head into the tent and throw on a pair of headphones. Only you know what you are listening to. Add a couple hundred (or thousand) people -- all wearing headphones and you've got quite the interesting party. Still confused? Check out this video. Get a complete list of the DJ battles here.
Did you know? Dave Matthews Band will be playing a full set on Sunday. That means concert-goers get a full three hours with the band.
Green initiatives: Festival organizers worked closely with the city of St. Paul to put an emphasis on green initiatives at the two-day fest. Hydration Stations will be located throughout the festival, offering free water for concert-goers with empty reusable bottles. A Nice Ride Minnesota bicycle valet will make it easy for bicyclists to ride over and ensure their bikes are safe. Recycling and carpooling efforts are also being promoted for the festival. For all the green initiatives, check out the Green Guide.
Wristband Technology: The festival will feature radio frequency identification technology, which will allow guests to enter and exit the fest at their convenience. Concert-goers simply scan their wristband upon entering and scan it again, once you leave. The wristbands also cut down on wait times and make for a smooth process to enter the fest. And for the social media savvy -- sync your wristband to your favorite social media site and it will automatically let your friends know you've just checked in to the festival. More on the wristbands.
Food Trucks: The food at the River's Edge Music Festival will feature a number of popular food trucks from the Twin Cities, as well as dishes from local restaurants. The weekend's menu includes food from Seven Steakhouse and Sushi, Jax Cafe, Bennett's Chop & Railhouse, El Burrito Mercado, Dino's Gyros, Jerabek's Bakery, Chipotle, Stanley's On Wheels, Harvest Grill, Turkey To Go, BBQ Cabin, McLellen's Concessions, Thomas Concessions, Campfire Desserts Concessions, Strawberry Fields and Kennedy Concessions. For the full menu, click here.
Tickets: Single-day wristbands are $90, two-day wristbands are $140 at the Harriet Island Box Office. Box office hours can be found here.
For all other information, directions or parking, check out the River's Edge Music Festival website.
