As 2017 is beginning to show, the north Texas festival bubble is far from popping. The inaugural Fortress Festival in Fort Worth is proof now that we have the lineup. The wait has been worth it:
Fortress Festival will feature rap duo Run the Jewels as well as Canadian electronic duo Purity Ring, which sold out the Bomb Factory in 2015. The impressive names continue with Flying Lotus, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, recently revived Slowdive, plus Houndmouth, Netflix synth sensation S U R V I V E, and more.
While the national acts here are noteworthy, so is the way the bill was rounded out with local artists. Fort Worth takes a prominent spot at this festival with Cowtown favorites such as Burning Hotels and Quaker City Night Hawks.
That the new two-day fest, to be held on April 29 and April 30 in Fort Worth's cultural district, looks promising isn't a surprise to those paying attention. (The new festival produced by Fortress Presents teamed up with Margin Walker Presents, which used to be Transmission Events, the company responsible for the dearly departed Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin.)
The cutting-edge lineup is a reflection of the style of bands one would normally see on a Fun Fun Fun Fest bill before it ceased a couple of years ago. Last year, Margin Walker Presents hosted the first Sound on Sound Festival, outside of Austin, which also boasted Run the Jewels and Purity Ring.
Aside from two stages of music placed well apart from one another in between the district's museums, the festival promises "a cultural experience that will include multiple creative disciplines," according to the announcement.
Ticket are on sale now. Prices range from $105 for two-day general admission to $275 for two-day VIP. Visit www.fortressfestival.com for information.
Full lineup for the first Fortress Festival, taking place in Fort Worth April 29 and 30:
- Run the Jewels
- Purity Ring
- Flying Lotus
- Slowdive
- Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
- Peter Hook & The Light
- Houndmouth
- Wolf Parade
- S U R V I V E
- Alvvays
- Whitney
- Dengue Fever
- Quaker City Night Hawks
- Sam Lao
- Sudie
- Ronnie Heart
- Burning Hotels
- Golden Dawn Arkestra
- Bobby Sessions
- Blue, The Misfit.
- Cure for Paranoia
Update on April 6, 2017: We've known for a while that the lineup is an impressive one, and with today's schedule announcement, we also understand that attendees will have the chance to avoid the all-too present festival schedule conflicts and see at least a few songs from every artist, should that type of jumping around be so desired. With only two stages, each day should be quite manageable.
Run the Jewels will headline on the Saturday, April 29 at 10 p.m.; the Purity Ring will close the fest down 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 30. We're especially glad to see that Austin band SURVIVE's set will take place after dark, as the group's synths moodiness just doesn't translate as well in the light of day.
And unlike mega-feats such as ACL or Lollapalooza that start each day before noon, the early sets here are at the very hangover-friendly 3 p.m.
