'Not looking to be Bonnaroo or Coachella,' Indy's WonderRoad sets its own path in year two
Indianapolis's oldest park will receive its annual injection of loud rock and youthful energy this weekend as WonderRoad music festival returns for its second year.
This year's iteration features a slate of 26 artists, with headliners Weezer and Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit set to close out each day. Although Garfield Park has long been a regular spot for outdoor concerts, WonderRoad sticks out in both scale and spectacle as one of the city's biggest festivals.
Other draws for the weekend include Marcus King, Local Natives, Coin and Tegan and Sara.
With an Americana-tinged act in Isbell and a legitimate 30-year hitmaker in Weezer at its top, this year's lineup broadens the festivals appeal slightly from last year's, which nearly sold out with group of millennial-ish indie rock groups: Vampire Weekend, Lord Huron, Chvrches, Hippo Campus, Bastille.
"We're thrilled with the lineup we have with Weezer, Jason Isbell, Marcus King, but it was also important for us to include the five local and regional acts," said Dan Kemer, vice president of events from locally based promoters MOKB Presents.
MOKB partners with Ohio-based Elevation Festivals, whose WonderFest brands also include WonderStruck in Cleveland and WonderBus in Columbus, to book and plan the Indianapolis summer festival.
The local artists opening each day of the festival include Audiodacity, Sadie Johnson and Ovrslept.
Kemer also recommended Myron Elkins, BabyJake, Lovelytheband and Almost Monday as sets not to be missed over the weekend, saying each "could be headlining acts in the next year or two."
Recap of last year's WonderRoad:Weather holds as indie rock, good vibes win out at inaugural WonderRoad festival
WonderRoad tickets are going fast
Most ticket tiers were available as of June 6. Single-day general admission tickets are $125 including fees, while two-day passes are $210. Students and kids are eligible for discounted rates. However, Saturday kids and VIP tickets, as well as parking passes, were sold out.
This year's WonderRoad was pushed back a week as part of "a conscious effort" to show support for and not clash with Indy Pride and its own large music festival, Kemer said.
Last year's WonderRoad attendees should be greeted with a familiar sight this weekend. The park has maintained the same setup: The Music Elevates main stage, a nearby White Claw secondary stage and a smaller third stage featuring mainly the local and up-and-coming groups.
Artists will be staggered across the three stages to ensure someone is always performing on festival days, which start at 1 p.m. and end at a hard curfew of 10 p.m. A full lineup with set times can be found here.
Artist and food vendor booths will also be in the same spots on the outer edges of the stage areas. Like last year, which saw rain and heavy winds briefly delay the performances on day two, the festival is rain or shine.
Kemer and his fellow organizers are hoping for Indianapolis's recent hot, dry weather spell to stretch just a little longer.
Attendance capped at 10,000 a day
Last year, WonderRoad nearly hit its 10,000-attendee-per-day cap, Kemer said. This year will have the same maximum occupancy, and tickets are selling well so far.
"With a festival, you typically sell 20-30% in the last few weeks, and we're right there," Kemer said.
Organizers are hoping to solidify WonderRoad as the rock festival in Indianapolis, with steady but sustainable growth.
"We're not looking to be Bonnaroo or Coachella," Kemer said. "For a lot of the boutique festivals (like WonderRoad), 10-15,000 is a great number. We don't need 30-40,000 people to be successful."