Every year, thousands of people look forward to indulging in the arts through immersing themselves in large scale concerts that often last for days at a time. That’s right people, I’m talking about music festivals. Young and old folks alike attend music festivals across the nation from the Governor’s Ball in New York City to Lost Lands in Legend Valley, Ohio, to the farms of Tennessee for Bonnaroo. While the lineups and experiences of music festivals are relatively unmatched, students often don’t have the financial means to haul out to the barren Colorado desert or pay for a hotel in the heart of Chicago. Lucky for the students here at the University of Maryland, the Clarice Center for Performing Arts has been curating a solution for the past several years.
The NextNOW Fest is the University of Maryland sponsored music and arts festival, held for two nights at the beginning of the Fall Semester. On September 13th and 14th, the event celebrated its fifth annual display since 2014.
Like most music festivals, NextNOW Fest offers a variety of acts and activities, not just musical performances. There are art vendors, dance performances, comedy shows, art exhibitions, and more, all working together to cultivate community and creativity amongst artists and spectators here on campus. This year, headliners included an interactive exhibition from ARTECHOUSE, indie rock music from Snail Mail, and rapper JPEGMAFIA. Other highlights of the festival included comedy shows from campus groups like SketchUp, dance showcases, and multimedia art displays.
Photo by Natalie Leinbach
I had not attended NextNOW Fest until Fall 2019. I discovered that it was a really cool experience- way cooler than I thought it would be! Initially, I was skeptical when I saw that the event was being marketed as a music and arts festival, like a small scale Firefly or Bonnaroo. Could a UMD sponsored event be as cool as a real music festival?
The answer I found was yes. I was not only surprised but genuinely impressed by the quality of the event. The festival was complete with huge balloon decorations (including a light-up five-foot-tall “NextNow” balloon sign in front of the Clarice), entrance security, vendors selling different crafts/art, five venues with music artists playing at different times, and hundreds of people filling the venues. NextNOW Fest even has its own app, allowing users to plan their own festival experience and find out exactly where and when each performance is going down.
My first night at the festival started around 9 p.m. in the Theatre Courtyard with bruce take nap, a psychedelic alternative pop group. I was impressed by their energy and sound as I moved around taking pictures of the group. I later had the pleasure of speaking with lead vocalist Bryce Watson, who would recommend that all UMD students take advantage of NextNOW Fest because there are “a lot of cool art displays and organizations and performances, including a lot by local artists or Maryland Natives.”
Bryce Watson of bruce take nap. Photo by Natalie Leinbach
One of these Maryland Natives, Snail Mail, was my next stop that night. Twenty-year-old Indie rock guitarist and singer-songwriter Lindsey Jordan drew a crowd that filled the Clarice’s Dekelboum Concert Hall. This show required reserved tickets (still free) due to the anticipated influx.
Snail Mail. Photo by Natalie Leinbach
On the next day of the Festival, I came back to take some photographs of the artists performing, namely one of my friends who plays in Outlier.mp3. After seeing his killer show with an eclectic mix of skills including electronic beats, acoustic sets, classical piano, and low-fi vocals, I happily roved around from show to show to check out all that the Clarice had to offer.
I think Bryce has it right when he says that all UMD students should check out NextNOW Fest. This showcase highlights the talent of young artists, many of which are UMD students. You will definitely see some high content at the festival. These groups are producing and performing music alongside their studies at the university, which emphasizes their real passion for what they do- and it shows when they perform. (Not to mention, this whole event is free!) For lovers of the arts and their community of student peers, people seeking out some new sounds, or anyone who needs something to do on a Friday or Saturday night in September, I strongly encourage them to check out the NextNOW Fest at UMD. I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised by what you find, just like I was.