Double the band budget set to amplify Blue Collar Festival

Four-dollar drinks, six new food vendors and a lineup that traverses musical genres are in store for this year’s Blue Collar Festival.

The festival is this Friday and Saturday in Teepee Tonka Park and features six bands ranging from disco to country. For just $15 adult admission for both days, organizer and Faribault Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Marketing Director Devin Winjum said he believes the music festival is the most affordable in the state.

“The Blue Collar Festival means all of the fun of a regular music festival, live music, great bands, and cold beverages without the festival pricing,” he said. “This festival is affordable for any blue-collar family, and I might even add it’s the most affordable music festival in all of Minnesota. For just $15, you get two days packed with live music, food, a car show, a vendor market and $4 drinks. When was the last time you seen $4 drinks at a music festival? Most two-day festivals range between $200-$600 per ticket.”

Chamber President Nort Johnson said the true purpose of the festival is to celebrate the working class.

“Blue collar is a term we’re very proud of here in Faribault,” he said. “Hardworking families built our town and economy, so it’s an honor to celebrate the blue-collar culture with this event.”

The music is the defining aspect of the Blue Collar Festival.

“We have over doubled our band budget from previous years, and it shows,” Winjum said.

On the lineup this year, Back in Black, Disco Kingz, Branded Hot Country, Rattlesnake Justice, Old Country Boys, Sawyer’s Dream, Tropical Two and Wreckless.

“We’re excited to have a great blend with some bands who haven’t been here previously, including Saturday nights’ closer from Texas,” Johnson said. “The last three acts are country, disco and classic hard rock, definitely a mix that most everyone will love.”

In organizing the festival, Winjum and Johnson both said the biggest challenge is keeping the price low enough to allow the opportunity to everyone who wants to go.

“I would echo what Nort said about keeping this festival affordable for anyone who might want to attend,” he said. “This means we are always working hard to find more sponsorship and volunteers, which has been a struggle this year and has been for many community events, whether they’re chamber-ran or ran by others in our community. I would like to take this time to say to our younger generation now is the time to get out and volunteer.”

The festival is in its second year at Teepee Tonka Park, a change that left some members of the community shocked. Johnson said the spot is better suited for a festival of this magnitude compared to the original location of downtown Faribault.

“The event was not performing financially,” he said. “Rather than letting it die, we chose to give it a three-year trial run at Teepee Tonka. To be clear, the rumors that some downtown residents made complaints and wanted the event moved are unequivocally false. Teepee Tonka was first considered because we had a number of requests to resurrect the Tree Frog Music Festival at that venue.”

He explained the benefits that come with the space.

“The positives of the venue change include better acoustical performance, over 10 times the space for concertgoers, bean bags on the grass versus hot summer blacktop, no need to close down streets and integrated activities remain connected to the stage venue, like the vendor market and food trucks.”

However, he gave assurance that the Chamber has certainly not abandoned its goal of a vibrant downtown.

“To be clear, we continue to support the downtown with music,” he said. “In fact, we added live music to the Downtown Car Cruise’s monthly roll-ins, as a way to continue to promote the historic district as an entertainment district.”