Treefort Music Fest starts *next week*! Are you going?!

I am, because I also work at Treefort lol. But even if I didn't I'd be there because its one of the best weeks in Boise.

This year is the 10th anniversary of Treefort Music Fest. The story of Treefort goes back to 2011, when there was a big ass hole in downtown Boise (aka the Boise Hole), the Red Room existed, Radio Boise just went on the airwaves, and people were camped outside of the County Courthouse as part of the Occupy Boise Movement.... what else was happening then?

Anyway as the story goes, Treefort’s four founders – Eric Gilbert, Lori Shandro, Drew Larona, and Megan Stoll – met in the summer of 2011 thanks to fate and Boise’s two degrees of separation. They collectively envisioned a music fest that would play host to a bunch of regional and national emerging artists, while showcasing local bands and dynamic potential of downtown Boise. They brought on a few more community members and within 6 months the small group planned and organized the first ever Treefort Music Fest.

Treefort 1 took place on March 22-25, 2012 in the Linen District of downtown Boise, with 137 artists playing shows in eight venues around the city. Alefort emerged as the first fort. More than 200 volunteers and dozens of downtown businesses helped pull it off, and a few thousands of fans were there to experience the experimental fest. It was a huge success and thus, the annual Treefort Music Fest was born.

Over the following years, Treefort would grow, change, and expand – right along like Boise and its surrounding cities. It's gained 11 forts, many more stages, and thousands of fans. The fest would become known for a happy "come as you are" vibe and for being the place where you see a band before they "blow up" and become super famous. Kids have grown up Treeforting. Bands have met each other at the fest and gone on to form new bands and partner on tours. People realized Boise was beautiful and really friggin cool.

Year after year, Treefort brings the community to celebrate the many things we love about our city. And it's really just so much fun.

This year, Treefort will bring 530 artists to 30 music venues, while the 11 forts of the fest bring a few hundreds more artists, speakers, chefs, and performers to 20 more venues throughout downtown Boise. Here's how to experience it.

How to do Treefort 10

First things first

You need a pass or a (loose) game plan. See all ticket options here.

Go for it – buy a full festival pass ($270) or a ZIPLINE ($420, lets you skip all lines). This gets you into all events for all five days of Treefort (except for a few ticketed events like dinners, etc).

Go for a day – go to everything happening that day for $100.

Go for a show – if there is a show you want to see or want to hang with friends at a specific venue, you can buy a ticket to a specific venue. This is available for Main Stage ($50), the Knitting Factory ($20), or Egyptian Theatre ($30).

Freefort – Treefort has multiple free stages and second chance shows at bars and spaces around downtown. Most of these shows are all ages (a few bars are 21+) and outside.

You can see shows for free at:

• The Hideout (Woodland Empire parking lot, Wed-Sun)
• Radioland (old Safari Inn parking lot, Th-Sun)
• Treeline (the city bus festival route, Wed-Sat)
• Boise Co-Op (Th-Sat)
• Barbarian Brewing (Fri)
• Handlebar (Fri-Sat)
• Hops & Bottles (Fri-Sat)
• Camp Modern (Modern Hotel, Fri-Sun)
• Bittercreek (Brunch Fri-Sun)
• Skatefort/Rhodes Skate Park (Sat)
• Boise Brewing (Fri-Sun)
• Lost Grove Brewing (Fri-Sun)
• Payette Brewing (Fri-Sat)

Forts you can go to for free/cheap:

• Artfort (free)
• Alefort (free, buy tokens + byo or buy reusable cup)
• Comedyfort ($30)
• Dragfort ($15ish at door)
• Filmfort ($30)
• Foodfort (dinners + classes diff prices)
• Hackfort ($30)
• Kidfort (free)
• Music Talks (free)
• Skatefort (free)
• Storyfort (free)
• Yogafort ($60)
• Podcasts (free)

See all ticket options here.

Second, get the deets

Get the details you need to attend. Some people are fine going in kinda blind and just wandering. Other people need a plan. Some will be in the middle. Whatever floats your boat. Here's some things that might help:

​Download the app. That's the best way to check out the lineup + schedule.

Don't know any bands? Check out the Treefort Deep Dives or listen to the playlists!

​Here's how to get around Treefort.​

And if you are in a chair or festival-ing with someone who has a disability, peep the accessible venues.

Don't forget to pack a steel cup, earplugs, etc!

Also Treefort doesn't have covid entry protocols this year, but please be mindful of the areas & shows that are mask required.

And lastly I wrote a story covering the different ways you can Treefort last year.

Treefort 10 schedule

Aaaand here's a big ol list of things I think you should check out!

Wednesday, March 23

4:20pm: Festival kick off – Acid Tongue at Main Stage

5:30pm: Sanctuary Gallery Grand Opening (all ages)

5:30pm: Shannon & The Clams at Main Stage

6:20pm: VEMM at Linen Building (local)

7pm: Foodfort - Twisted Filipino Dinner with Chef Carlo Lamagna

7:20pm: OHMME at El Korah

8:40pm: Blvck Hippie at Linen Building

8:40pm: Snail Mail at Main Stage

8:50pm: Mo Lowda & The Humble at The Olympic

9pm: Ghost Funk Orchestra at The Hideout (free)

9:20pm: Nicolás Molina at The District

10pm: Afrosonics at The Reef (local)

10pm: Guided By Voices at El Korah

10:30pm: Calva Louise at The Shredder

11pm: Fungineers at The Egyptian

11:10pm: Geographer at Sonic Temple Blue

12am: Floating Witch’s Head at Sonic Temple Red (local)

Thursday, March 24

12pm: Yogafort - The Path to Pose at Cherie Buckner-Webb Park

2pm: Blood Lemon at Main Stage (local)

3pm: Hackfort - Be Cyber Smart

4pm: Indigo De Souza at Main Stage

4pm: Alefort - Shadow Puppet Wine Showcase + Belgian Beer Showcase (free entry + buy tokens)

5pm: Angel Abaya at El Korah Shrine (local)

5:30pm: Guided By Voices at Main Stage

5:40pm: The Ophelias at Lost Grove

6pm: Lounge on Fire at Knitting Factory (local)

6:20pm: Psychic Bloom at Radioland

6:20pm: Ealdor Bealu at Sonic Temple Red (local)

7pm: Mckenna Esteb at Linen Building (local + Mckenna does From Boise’s social media!)

8pm: Dragfort Kick Off Show at The Balcony

8:10pm: Nordista Freeze at Sonic Temple Blue

8:40pm: Osees at Main Stage

9pm: Nubya Garcia at El Korah Shrine

10pm: Moldes at Sonic Temple Red

10:40pm: Luna Luna at Linen Building

10:40pm: Neal Francis at El Korah

11pm: SunDog at Sonic Temple Red

12am: Genesis Owusu at El Korah Shrine

12:30am: Mercury Rev’s Clear Light Ensemble at Egyptian Theatre

12:40am: The Muckers at Neurolux

Friday, March 25

11am: Hackfort - lock picking workshop

12pm: Yogafort – Adult Nap Time at Sanctuary

12pm: Storyfort – Jason Mott at The Egyptian

1pm: Podcasts - Talking Strange Podcast, Haunted Boise (free)

2pm: Jackie Venson at Main Stage

2pm: Kidfort - Make Your Own Treefort Accessory at Sanctuary (free)

3pm: Music Talks – Intro to DJing at LED (free)

3:20pm: Moldes at The Hideout (free)

4pm: Ata Kak at Main Stage

5:20pm: The French Tips at El Korah (local)

5:30pm: Tropa Magica at The Hideout (free)

5:30pm: Fruit Bats at Main Stage

6pm: ATALHOS at Neurolux

6pm: Podcast – Two Old Queens at Boise Centre East, Room 420B

7pm: Vanishing Twin at El Korah

7:40pm: Afrosonics at Payette Brewing (free)

7:50pm: Bluebook at Sonic Temple Red

8:20pm: Mint Field at Sonic Temple Blue

8:30pm: Durand Jones & The Indications

9pm: Wilderado at Egyptian Theatre

9pm: Prism Bitch at Boise Brewing (free)

10pm: SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE at El Korah

10:20pm: Magdalena Bay at Egyptian Theatre

10:30pm: Jango at Reef

11:50pm: Joshy Soul at Egyptian Theatre

12am: Zeta at The Shredder

12:40am: Rider & Rolling Thunder at Pengilly’s (local)

Saturday, March 26

10am: Yogafort – Radiant Heart Flow at Adelmann South

11am: Foodfort – Filipino food cooking class

12pm: Kidfort – competitive jump roping (free)

12:30pm: Wazumbians at Main Stage

1pm: Foodfort – cooking class with Chef Hugh Acheson

1pm: Filmfort – Bright, Wacky & Weird Shorts

1:40pm: Pachyman at Main Stage

1:45pm: FEMME HOUSE Presents

2pm: Kidfort – Triple Rainbow (free)

2:30pm: Filmfort – Local Gems at The Flicks

2:50pm: W.I.T.C.H. at Main Stage

3pm: Foul Weather at KIN (local)

3pm: Kidfort – Boise Music Lessons (free, also remember?)

3pm: Storyfort – how Boise's growth is changing its food culture (free)

3pm: Hackfort – build your own custom keyboard

3:20pm: Andrew Dixon at Fort Builder

3:50pm: Dragfort – Pink Runway Pop Up at Main Stage

4:20pm: Sinkane at Main Stage

5pm: Artfort - Tropico FM Showcase

6pm: SunDog at Lost Grove Brewing (free)

6:30pm: Sunny War at Fort Builder

6:50pm: Shaina Shepherd at El Korah

7:20pm: The Regrettes at Main Stage

7:30pm: Artfort - LED Dance is Cringe (local)

8pm: Don Lifted at Sanctuary

8pm: Comedyfort at The Owyhee

8:50pm: SLANG at Linen Building

9pm: Dragfort at The Balcony

10pm: LP Giobbi at Knitting Factory

11:10pm: Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band at Sonic Temple Blue

12am: Fly Anakin at Reef

12:10pm: Zeta at Basque Center

12:20am: !!! at El Korah

12:40am: Tropa Magica at Sonic Temple Blue

Sunday, March 27

10am: Hackfort – Board Games & Brunch at White Dog Brewing

11am – Kidfort – Oregon Shadow Theatre at El Korah

12pm: Dragfort Brunch at Alefort (free)

12:30pm: Karl Blau at Main Stage

3pm: ATALHOS at The Hideout (free)

3:10pm: Kari Faux at Main Stage

4pm: Zeta at The Hideout

5:30pm: Night Heron at Sonic Temple Blue

6pm: Men I Trust at Main Stage

7pm: Spoon Benders at El Korah

7:30pm: Sunny War at KIN

7:40pm: Kim Gordon at Main Stage

8pm: Mint Field at The Hideout

9pm: Silver Synthetic at The Olympic

9pm: W.I.T.C.H. at El Korah

9pm: Shaina Shepherd at The Hideout (free)

10:50pm: Geese at Sonic Temple Blue

11pm: We Were Promised Jetpacks at Linen Building

11:40pm: Mr Grant Olsen at Neurolux (local)

11:40pm: Built to Spill at El Korah (local)

12:20am: Street Fever at Sonic Temple Blue (local)

12:30am: Sinkane DJ Set at Neurolux

Aaand that's a wrap!

Are you going to Treefort 10? What are you planning to see? Let me know --> marissa@fromboise.com

Thanks for reading and Happy Treefort!!

With love from Boise,

Marissa

​

PS - full disclosure I also work at Treefort Music Fest

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