Festival preview: Utopiafest Makes a Move
For the tenth UTOPIAfest, the limited attendance music festival has rebranded, Utopiafest Down in the Oaks to reflect the new venue the event has moved to located at a ranch near Burnet, Texas which is significantly closer (45 min) to Austin than the original venue. Organizers have also made some other changes, inching up the attendance cap and limiting BYOB beverages to the camp ground areas to grow festival revenue while maintaining the same community vibe that has been the festival’s hallmark. This year, the fest takes place Nov 2-4, promising cooler weather than past years. For festival goers, the experience at UTOPIAfest is vastly improved from larger format festivals. Fans can get close to the stage. The atmosphere is more relaxing and less hectic. It’s simply a more enjoyable environment.
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“Saying goodbye to our festival’s original home, Four Sister’s Ranch, never felt like an ending,
but a new beginning,” says festival founder Travis Sutherland, “to be able to expand our UTOPiAn dream
and be accessible to more people is an honor. We can’t wait to create an unforgettable weekend in the
Texas Hill Country.”
Headliners Patty Griffin, Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real and STS9 keep the musical theme of local artists who reflect the festival’s Texas origins. The rest of the lineup features more well-curated acts as diverse as Grandmaster Flash, Diet Cig and Medeski’s Mad Skillet. We’re also anticipating memorable sets by Austin’s Kalu and the Electric Joint, Hard Proof, Calliope Musicals and fest mainstay, The Deer.
The traditional late-night Good Times stage will return with acoustic sets by The Deer, Hikes, Cowboy Irie and more. UTOPIAfest has expanded camping options as well, now offering glamping and RV options to festival goers. In addition to past partners Real Ale the festival will host more craft beer options with Zilker Brewing (with a Utopian Ale) and Texas Beer Co. There will also be a SIP wine grove offering Texas-made wines. Organizers are promising art installations and as in year’s past, yoga workshops and activities for kids.
Tickets, tent rentals and more are still available at the festival ticketing page.
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