Alright, so like, you wouldn’t really expect thousands of music lovers to be camping out in the middle of some cornfields, right? But get this, in 2017, that’s exactly what happened at the Hinterland Music Festival between two days of non-stop tunes.
The festival, which is held in a small town near Des Moines, has been drawing in around 25,000 people each day. That’s more than the entire population of the county where it’s located! This year, the festival is set to take place from August 1-3, featuring big names like Tyler, The Creator, Kacey Musgraves, and Lana Del Rey.
The founder of Hinterland, Sam Summers, who also happens to be an Iowa State alumnus, spilled the beans on some exciting changes for this year’s event. “We definitely stepped up… some of our headliner stuff this year with Lana and Tyler,” he said. “Also, we’ll be at a new site on the festival grounds, where the main stage is moving slightly.”
Summers, who has a background in the music industry, shared that he first started dreaming up a large-scale music festival in Iowa back in 2012. “We had this idea of putting together a two-day festival with some awesome bands,” he explained. “We even had a location all set up in downtown Des Moines, but then… the nearby river decided to flood the week of the festival. So, we had to move everything to Saint Charles, and it turned out to be a hit!”
In light of some complaints from last year’s festival, Summers and his team are making some changes and improvements. “We’ve thought a lot about how people move around a festival and areas that needed more space,” he said. “One of the areas we felt was lacking was the concourse area, where people could chill and relax. So, we’ve added a lot to that.”
Aside from expanding the festival grounds, Hinterland is also introducing more water bottle refill stations, misting fans, additional shade tents, and an improved shuttle program for attendees. Summers emphasized, “We’re making changes to acknowledge where we fell short last year. And we’re committed to making it a better festival every year.”
If you’re thinking of attending Hinterland, you can grab a three-day pass starting at $330 on their website. So, pack your bags, grab your friends, and get ready for a weekend of music and fun in the middle of nowhere!
