The Fest 14

Gainesville’s annual punk rock festival returns

Jen Cray

For the 14th year in a row Gainesville, FL will be overrun with punk and indie rock fans and bands for the downtown sprawling The Fest. Taking place over Halloween weekend (Oct. 30 – Nov. 1), about 400 bands — some known, some unknown, some newly reformed, some just brand spankin’ new — will play in a variety of venues, and the college town will be one giant house party where the PBR flows freely and sleep is but a distant dream.

With so many bands to choose from, there aren’t really any traditional headliners per se, but that’s not to say there aren’t a ton of acts to get super psyched about. RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS, PUJOL, BEACH SLANG, WAR ON WOMEN, GOVERNMENT ISSUE, UNDERGROUND RAILROAD TO CANDYLAND, TEENAGE BOTTLEROCKET, PEARS, and WESTON are just a handful of bands I plan on seeking out admist the madness.

For the very determined, or for those not able to make travel plans to North Florida, the festivities start a few days early in Ybor City (Oct. 28 + 29) for Pre-Fest. For this Fest extension, 80+ bands will pre-game in select venues around Ybor (just outside of Tampa). Because, ya know, there are never enough shows to go to!

For more info about Fest and Pre-Fest, head to the official website where you can also purchase tickets, and hotel packages.

The Fest: thefestfl.com