I attended Local Fest last weekend for the fourth year in a row and it was the best yet. The festival was a hub for food, arts, and music for the local community and Arkansas State University students to explore. 

For the past three years, I’ve enjoyed strolling downtown, gazing at the art vendors, smelling the aroma from various food trucks and of course hearing the bustling sounds of music coming from every direction. 

There is always something for everyone at Local Fest but this year the festival stepped it up. If you weren’t interested in the 75+ musical artists from various genres performing across 13 different live stages, the festival hosted two new variety events, wrestling and stand up comedy. 

The Arkansas Wrestling Association held two professional wrestling shows and The Recovery Room hosted a sold out stand-up comedy showcase. Although I am not a huge fan of wrestling it was fascinating watching these guys wrestle. The sound of a wrestler crashing into the rink was chilling. 

I was sad I didn’t get a chance to get tickets to the stand-up comedy before they sold out but I figured it was pretty good after hearing the roar of laughter erupting from The Recovery Room Friday night. 

As an avid music lover, I stayed around the main stage. It was littered with professional stage lights and a state of the art sound system. My ears are still recovering from dancing in front of the speakers. 

Musical acts that performed on this stage ranged from solo acts to full-blown bands, catering to various genres. I am a classic rock kind of girl but I did enjoy the festival headliner, Arkansauce, a four-piece string band from Northwest Arkansas that blurs the line between bluegrass and folk. 

My favorite part of the whole festival was the community. Majority of the musical acts, vendors, and businesses are local. 

Crowdgoers could even spot A-State students playing on one of the 13 stages of music. The Zach Childers Band, another headlining act, featured A-State’s very own Dillinger Carr rocking on the drumset. 

After another successful festival, Local Fest has solidified itself as another annual activity for students to explore. 

Overall, I enjoyed this festival; the music was top notch and I love how it is an outlet for smaller local bands to get their music out to their community. I recommend this to any A-State students looking for something to do. I can’t wait to see what Local Fest has to offer next year!

Photos by Rebecca Worthington | Photo Editor

Categories: Arts & Entertainment