Browse the Internet and you’ll find that music festival ticket prices can vary widely depending on the festival, typically ranging from $200 to $600.
So where can you see seven hours of live outdoor music for free?
At the Railroad Square Music Festival in Santa Rosa, starting at noon Sunday.
Introduced in 2015, the festival is now in its 10th year, but this will actually be the eighth event due to a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID pandemic.
Bigger than ever, the day-long festival will feature 39 acts across five stages, and organizers are expecting a potentially larger crowd than the 7,000 people who attended last year.
“We’re refining the festival and making it better,” said Josh Windmiller, festival director and co-founder, with Susy Dugan.
The lineup will include rock, country, hip-hop, rap, jazz and folk music, as well as mariachi music and pomo dance.
“We really strive to be non-genre specific and reflect the arts and culture of the county, which is very broad,” Windmiller said.
Often, music festival formats are limited to a particular type of music, he explained.
“At Railroad Square, you get surprised. There’s discovery. There are musical styles that you might not get the chance to experience very often,” Windmiller added.
Los músicos de este año incluyen a Rico Pobre, Ellie James, Stella & Banjango, Foxes in the Henhouse, The Eric Long Band, Cam JC & Friends, Cardboard People, Coffin Hunters, Silas Fermoy, Under A New Sun, Grapefruit Moon y The Portal Authority.
There’s a hip-hop showcase featuring J.Lately, Erica Ambrin and N8 & Tha G, presented by Decolonized Mind, as well as “The Elevation Invitation” featuring LaiddBackZach, Sky Palace, Taylin Archini, Unconventional Loui, Victoria Bratton and Spacewalker, presented by Experiencia Atemporal.
The festival includes two songwriter showcases with Alison Harris, Adam Traum, Doug Jayne, Izzy Lilly, Gabe Duran and From Jacob. The “Electric Railway Station” features DJs Tecni, Dyops, Mac, Yuka Yu, Retro P and Tommy Echelon.
The Pomo Dancers of Sonoma County, the Marilla Carillo High School Mariachi and Play it Forward’s Rock-A-Doodle-Doo student band will open the day.
“Instead of one big headliner, there are multiple strong acts,” Windmiller said.
The goal is to introduce both locals and music fans from the Bay Area and beyond to the wide range of musical talent available here.
“If you go to a country music festival and you hear country music, at Railroad Square, you can come and hear a country band and stay to see the hip-hop show,” Windmiller said.
The Railroad Square Music Festival is a project of The Lost Church’s performing spaces in Santa Rosa and San Francisco.
Staff writer Dan Taylor can be reached at [email protected] or 707-521-5243. He’ll be followed by @danarts.
