What is FEST?

THE FEST is an independent multiple-day, multiple-venue underground music festival held annually in Gainesville, FL with support from the fine folks from VISIT GAINESVILLE, ALACHUA COUNTY. Established in 2002 with only 60 bands, four stages, and two days, THE FEST has experienced a massive growth rate and now is three days long, 15+ venues and over 350 bands, comedians and professional wrestlers.

First timer? Here’s the lowdown!

When you purchase a pass for FEST you are buying a 3-day pass.

That pass gains you access to all the shows at the official venues associated with Fest.

The venues are all within walking distance of each other and some even next door to each other. Venue sizes run from 150 capacity to upwards of 4,000 capacity for our large outside main stage.

Acts perform all day and night for 3 straight days. With all the venues running at the same time, this allows the attendee to have a Choose Your Own Adventure experience and check out lots of smaller up and coming artists as well as the larger and more well-known FEST bands.

We do not sell day passes for Fest but there are select venues where we sell a limited number of single show tickets. Those tickets are available when the schedule goes live and that is usually midsummer.

A list of bands performing can be found HERE and a list of all the venues, their addresses, and age restrictions can be found HERE.

FEST is a true DIY Music Festival run solely by a group of music loving, hard-working, individuals and over 500 local volunteers.

FEST is not run by a large production company, nor does it have big pocket investors. The goal is not to use punk rock to get rich, but instead to showcase the diversity and the ethics involved around the punk community.

FEST strives to not gouge attendees and keeps prices affordable whenever possible. All venues associated with FEST will be selling Pabst Blue Ribbon tall boys for $4 or less and the average merchandise price for FEST branded merchandise is $20.

Attendees will also find a vast amount of affordable local eating options around downtown Gainesville. Many offer vegetarian and vegan options.

FEST 21 (2023) STATS

3 DAY PASSES SOLD = 3,500 (SOLD OUT)
INDIVIDUAL SHOW TICKETS = 4323
Band Members, Wrestlers, Comedians = 1,487
Volunteers & Staff = 431
SPONSORS/ PRESS/ VENUE COMPS =321
TOTAL ATTENDANCE = 10,062
3 DAY IMPACT ON GAINESVILLE ECONOMY= 21,540

OTHER STATS

96.0% of 3 day passes from outside of Gainesville.
73.5% of 3 day passes were from outside of Florida.
32% of 3 day passes from outside of USA

FEST ALUMNI

7 SECONDS / 88 FINGERS LOUIE / ABLE BAKER FOX / AGAINST ALL AUTHORITY / AGAINST ME! / AMERICAN STEEL / AJJ / ALGERNON CADWALLADER / ANDREW W.K / AS FRIENDS RUST / ASSHOLEPARADE / ATOM AND HIS PACKAGE / AUDIO KARATE / AVAIL / THE AVENGERS / A WILHELM SCREAM ALL / BANNER PILOT / BARONESS / CATBITE / BIG D AND THE KIDS TABLE / BIGWIG / THE BLOOD BROTHERS / BOMB THE MUSIC INDUSTRY! / BOUNCING SOULS / BOLLWEEVILS / BOYSETSFIRE / BRAID / BROADWAY CALLS / THE BRONX / BULLY / CAREER SUICIDE / JUST FRIENDS / CEREMONY / CHIXDIGGIT / CHRIS GETHARD / CHUCK RAGAN / CIRCLE TAKES THE SQUARE / CITY OF CATERPILLAR / COALESCE / CODE ORANGE / COLISEUM / THE COPYRIGHTS / CURSIVE / DAVE ROSS / DEAD TO ME / DEAR LANDLORD / DEFIANCE, OHIO / DESCENDENTS / DIARRHEA PLANET / DILLINGER FOUR / THE DOPAMINES / DIKEMBE / DRAG THE RIVER / DWARVES / THE ERGS! / FAKE PROBLEMS / EVE 6 / THE FLATLINERS / FLOOR / FRANK TURNER / FREE THROW / FOXING / FROM ASHES RISE / THE FRONT BOTTOMS / THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM / THE GET UP KIDS / COBRA SKULLS / GOOD RIDDANCE / GORILLA BISCUITS /GOVERNMENT ISSUE / KILL LINCOLN / HAR MAR SUPERSTAR / HOP ALONG / HORACE PINKER / HOT WATER MUSIC / HUM / I AM THE AVALANCHE / INTO IT. OVER IT. / IRON CHIC / WE ARE THE UNION / JAWBREAKER / JAWBOX / J CHURCH / JOE SIB / JOEY CAPE / JOYCE MANOR / JEFF ROSENSTOCK / SIGNALS MIDWEST / KILL YOUR IDOLS / KNAPSACK / KYLE KINANE / KYLESA / LA DISPUTE / LAGWAGON / LARRY AND HIS FLASK / LAURA STEVENSON / LATTERMAN / LAWRENCE ARMS / LEATHERFACE / LEMURIA / LESS THAN JAKE / LIFETIME / THE LILLINGTONS / LOOK MEXICO / THE LOVED ONES / LUCERO / MAC SABBATH / MARIACHI EL BRONX / MARKED MEN / MASKED INTRUDER / MASTODON / MATES OF STATE / MATT & KIM / MC LARS / MEAN JEANS / MEAT WAVE / ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES / MELVINS / THE MENZINGERS / METZ / MOCK ORANGE MEWITHOUTYOU / MINERAL / MINUS THE BEAR / MODERN BASEBALL / MODERN LIFE IS WAR / MOM JEANS. / THE MOVIELIFE / MUNICIPAL WASTE / MURDER BY DEATH / MUSTARD PLUG / NAKED RAYGUN / NEGATIVE APPROACH / NIGHT BIRDS / NIGHT MARCHERS / NONE MORE BLACK / NOTHINGTON / NO TRIGGER / OBITS / OFF WITH THEIR HEADS / PAINT IT BLACK / PAUL BARIBEAU / PEARS / PEGBOY / PIANOS BECOME THE TEETH / PIEBALD / THE PIETASTERS / PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS / POLAR BEAR CLUB / PRAWN / PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES / PRINCE DADDY & THE HYENA / PROPAGANDHI / PUP / QUICKSAND / RAINER MARIA / RADIOACTIVITY / P.O.S. / RED CITY RADIO / RESTORATIONS / RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS / ROZWELL KID / RVIVR RUSSIAN CIRCLES / SAMIAM / SCREAMING FEMALES / SEAWEED / SHEER MAG / THE SLACKERS / SAETIA / SLINGSHOT DAKOTA / SMALL BROWN BIKE / SMOKE OR FIRE / SMOKING POPES / SNAPCASE / SNUFF / SPANISH LOVE SONGS / STIFF LITTLE FINGERS / SPARTA / STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO / STRIKE ANYWHERE / SUICIDE MACHINES / SUPERCHUNK / TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS / FOLLY / SCOWL / SQUIRTGUN / SKATUNE NETWORK / THIS BIKE IS A PIPE BOMB / TIGERS JAW / TIM BARRY / TITLE FIGHT / TITUS ANDRONICUS / TORCHE / TOUCHÉ AMORÉ / TOYS THAT KILL / TSUNAMI BOMB / THE APPLESEED CAST / THE WONDER YEARS / YOUTH BRIGADE / YOUNG WIDOWS / THE WORLD IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE & I AM NO LONGER AFRAID TO DIE / YOU BLEW IT / THURSDAY / UNDERGROUND RAILROAD TO CANDYLAND / UPRIGHT CITIZENS BRIGADE / GWAR / VALIENT THORR / THE VELVET TEEN / WAR ON WOMEN