Project North Festival has released the initial 10 bands in their music lineup for their inaugural festival. Taking place September 26 - 28 in downtown Rhinelander, Project North will include a diverse musical lineup featuring artists such asBad Bad Hats, Reina del Cid, and Kind Country. Another round of bands will be announced in a few weeks.
The festival is a collaboration between the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce, ArtStart Rhinelander, WXPR Public Radio, and Nicolet College.
Since the multi-stage festival will take place around downtown, attendees will have access to the amenities of the town in addition to the nearby lakes and forests that make the Northwoods such a beautiful midwest destination. Concert venues include ArtStart Rhinelander, WXPR Public Radio, and the Masonic Lodge. Other musical artists will include Dig Deep, McNasty Brass Band, Humbird, Radiochurch, Armchair Boogie, Purple Funk Metropolis, and Wurk.
The mission of the Project North Festival is to be more than just a music festival by also focusing on the importance of promoting creativity and sustainability. The festival aims to showcase downtown Rhinelander, its artistic community, and the beautiful Northwoods where it all resides.
A downtown art walk will be a partnership between downtown businesses and local artists. Public art projects will also allow attendees of the festival to leave their mark on the inaugural event. The 50 year tradition of School of the Arts also continues as a key component of the festival. Classes will take place both in downtown Rhinelander and at Treehaven and will feature topics such as poetry, printing, playwriting, sketching, and songwriting.
Project North will hold a sustainability fair Friday and Saturday featuring booths, regional environmental organizations representatives, and roundtables focused on the topic of ecological sustainability. The festival will also show a commitment to sustainability all weekend long by using composting toilets from Natural Events, making refillable Project North cups available for purchase, and more.
In addition to Project North food specials at downtown Rhinelander restaurants, the festival will be featuring a wide variety of food carts and other vendors Friday and Saturday. Attendees will be able to eat fresh Italian/Mediterranean, Asian/Thai, Mexican, smoked meat sandwiches, pasties, and more. All food vendors will be practicing a “Nearly Zero Waste” philosophy by using eco-friendly products and composting food scraps.
Project North is supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, and from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
