DES MOINES, Iowa — Downtown Des Moines will soon be filled with music ranging from jazz to metal as the 80/35 Music Festival begins later today.
The two-day event is returning for the first time since the pandemic began.
Local 5 met with Festival Director Mickey Davis to learn more about what to expect from the event.
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Q: What is the 80/35 Music Festival?
A: 80/35 is a nonprofit music festival. We call ourselves kind of a two-day celebration of local music, international music, national music, local food, local beer, local culture. We think of ourselves as Des Moines' largest block party.
Q: There are more than 50 bands that will play over the two day festival, and the bands are diverse in genre. How or why was the decision made to incorporate that diversity?
A: As a nonprofit, one of our goals is to really make sure we're reflecting the diversity of our community on our stages. That means we have jazz, we have rock, we have pop, we have folk, we have metal bands playing this year. I really think there's some style of music for everyone to come down and celebrate at the festival.
Q: More than half of the bands or artists that play out here are from Iowa. What's the importance of giving local talent a chance to perform?
A: Yeah, so of the fifty plus bands, about thirty of them are from Iowa. That's really central to what we do and who we are. A lot of us who organize the festival are also musicians so its important that we're getting out and making sure people see local bands. We did a study at the end of last year and most local musicians lost over half of their income because of the pandemic. More than anything we hope people come out and celebrate the fact that musicians are playing again and concerts are happening again, and these people who put all of their livelihood into their craft are able to do what they love once more.
Questions and answers were edited for length and clarity.
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VIP tickets for the event are sold out, but other tickets remain available.
To learn more about the festival or to purchase tickets online, visit https://www.80-35.com/