One of Wyoming’s largest music festivals is making its way to Laramie with the introduction of WHAT Fest Block Party 2019. The festival, usually held at a rural venue, will take place in an urban location for the first time in over a decade, and has decided that the City of Laramie is the perfect fit.
WHAT Fest originated when a group of friends started playing music in founder Marko Ruble’s backyard in 2003 and has expanded from there, with this years adaptation featuring 25 acts across a wide variety of genres, from reggae to bluegrass, and country to electronic.
“We’re a family friendly environment, and the people you meet at WHAT Fest are always one of a kind,” said Carter Parks, a 12 year committee member.
Each year, 10 committee members work year-round to plan and organize the festival and a group of 75 volunteers work the actual event.
WHAT Fest has been held in locations such as Centennial, Riverside, Clark, and Cody, Wyoming.
Unfortunately, the land owner the committee was working with in Centennial decided that he could no longer host the event.
Last minute, the committee reached out to Alibi Wood Fire Pizzeria and Bakery and was able to secure a home for WHAT Fest 2019.
“We were happy to help out,” said Tina McGee, the bar manager at the Alibi. “Supporting live music has always been important to us.”
Both the Alibi and the committee believe that WHAT Fest 2019 can be a mutually beneficial relationship for both parties and has a lot to offer the City of Laramie.
“Laramie has always been a major part of the festival, since our board has always been full of Laramie residents and we’ve always showcased several Laramie bands every year,” Parks said.
“We believe that festivals like ours have a profound effect on a community both by giving the people access to the arts as well as giving local artists a stage to present their material. It’s access like this that fosters a community people want to live in and become involved with and as such strengthens one’s bond with their own community.”
“We have an opportunity to bring a huge event directly to the community and feel Laramie as a whole can benefit from WHAT fest,” said Mcgee. “Small businesses downtown will surely see an increase in volume just as we will.”
The atmosphere of the festival will change due to the new setting. Attendees will not be allowed to camp like they were at prior festivals; however, in place of the usual festivities, WHAT Fest 2019 will feature booths from local artists and vendors.
The Alibi has been working to create an easy flow of service to make sure attendees have fast access to multiple bars and food stations.
“We operate the woodfire oven during off-site caterings regularly so we feel confident we will be able to sling pizzas fast and whip up delicious cocktails in no time,” said McGee.
WHAT Fest tries to change their lineup every year but will also be featuring multiple recurring artists including The Woodpile, Hectic Hobo, Jack Clayton Band, and many others.
One band, The Great Salmon Famine, will be playing WHAT Fest for the first time this year.
“We’re very excited and we’ve heard great things about it [WHAT Fest],” said guitarist/ vocalist, founder, and manager, Evan Waring.
The band originating in 2017 at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, describes their sound as “Colorado fusion.” Defined as a mix of blues, jazz, world music and rock.
“Something for everyone, I’d like to think,” said Waring.
“One thing we do well is keeping it fresh,” he continued. “Every time someone comes to a show they get something a little bit different.”
Next year, WHAT Fest is hoping to go back to its roots at a rural location in Wyoming, but when asked if The Alibi would host again McGee said, “We’re always down to party! This will be the biggest event of the year for us, we are excited to host and hope everyone has a fabulous and safe time!”
Alibi Wood Fire Pizzeria and Bakery is located at 404 s 4th street. Tickets are $30 dollars for two day admission and $20 for one day admission. The festival goes from 2:30pm on Friday, July 26th to 7:29pm on Saturday, July 27th. Doors open at 1pm.
The Alibi will only be open to WHAT Fest attendees on Friday and Saturday and there will be no table service available during the event. The Alibi will also be offering a festival-specific menu for both food and drink.
For more information on the festival or to purchase tickets to the event, please visit www.whatfest.com/#homepage. For more info on The Great Salmon Famine and Alibi Woodfire Pizza and Bakery, please visit their websites at www.salmonfaminemusic.com and www.alibiwoodfire.com.
By: Matthew Bartholomew
mbartho2@uwyo.edu
