3rd Annual River City Rhythm & Rock Festival [Press Release]
Celebrating Diversity and Community in Fitchburg
This festival is your gateway to a day packed with extraordinary local and regional talents spanning hip-hop, jazz, R&B, rock, and more, all set against the backdrop of Fitchburg's scenic Riverfront Park.
Date and Time: August 31st, 2024, 2pm-10pm
Location: Riverfront Park and Mill Street, Fitchburg, MA
Rain Date: September 1st, 2024
FREE ADMISSION
August 31st will be our most diverse festival yet, featuring multiple music stages, street art, interactive displays, and a vendor market. We are adding festival partnerships and new components that will enhance the experience for the community and its residents.
With generous donations and continued support, we aim to enhance the festival experience and provide even more opportunities for local artists!
Event Highlights
Performances: Multiple stages featuring a diverse lineup of musical genres, including hip-hop, jazz, R&B, rock, and more featuring performances by Thurston Consort, DJ Lucas & 22BB, Q-Furb, Freddy Stone, Jazzy Lionman, Provenance, Vile Impulse, and JoE GRiZzLy
Vendors: A variety of local vendors offering unique products and services. Managed by Iridescent Soul Trade.
Activities: Family-friendly activities, interactive displays, street art, and a beer garden.
Special Partnerships: Collaborations with local organizations to enhance the festival experience.
Background
The River City Rhythm & Rock Festival was initiated to address the lack of music festivals and support for arts and culture from underrepresented creatives in the creative sector. Our festival provides a platform for artists of multi-genres, mainly hip-hop, to showcase their talents and express themselves within their community. It highlights the social change taking place in Fitchburg by promoting creative placemaking and providing easier access to live performances.
In our first year, we relied heavily on in-kind services and donations, with significant support from NewVue Communities and local businesses. This grassroots approach has been pivotal in building a strong foundation for the festival. Over the past two years, we’ve seen increased support, including notable grants from the Fitchburg Creative City Partnership and the Center for Community Progress.
Schedule
Riverfront Park
2pm - 10pm: Food by Two Brothers Barbecue, Belmont Vegetarian, and Fidelity Bank’s Free Ice Cream Truck, The Frosty Flyer. Beer garden, bouncy houses, lawn games, art activities, board games, and vendor market.
Main Stage
6pm-10pm: Parental Advisory
Diverse Performances w/ DJ Chippy
Respected Rejectz: Hip-hop/Rap
Ray Millz of RTS Entertainment: Latin Hip-Hop
Northside Cam: Hip-hop/R&B
Ham Honcho x Hoodie: Hip-hop
BURGFAMILY wit SG: Hip-hop
Gerk: Hip-hop/R&B
Chon$: Alternative HipHop
BaeAk: Underground Rap / Hyperpop
Jazzy lionman: Hip-hop/Rap
Freddy Stone: Hip-hop/Rap
Q-FURB: Hip-hop/Rap
JoE GRiZzLy: Hip-hop Band/Rap
2pm-6pm: Family-Friendly
Mixed Genre Performances:
Thurston Consort: Chamber Music
K Fingers Band: Instrumental Smooth Jazz-Funk
Tasteless Jack: Alt-Rock @tastelessjack
Buddhi de Mal: Folk/ Singer/Songwriter
Merrick Henry: Pop
Provenance: Metalcore
Dr. Huh?! And the Cosmic Wimps: Comedy
Vile Impulse: Alternative Folk / PsychFolk
disposable jazz: Experimental / Beatbox / Freestyle
DJKADOMIXX: World Music: Konpa / Raboday
Mill Street Stage 2pm- 10pm
2pm: DJ set by Michael Grattaroti
4pm: Tiny Fest hosted by Kristin G: comedy, dance, & poetry
7pm: The Cellar presents One After 909: Beatles Tribute
Vendors and Community Partners
Long dog Acoustic Instrument Cases
Community Partners
Fitchburg Cultural Alliance, Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC), Fitchburg Public Schools, Fitchburg Public Market/Worcester regional Public Market, Spanish American Center, Parent/Professional Advocacy League (PPAL) and Youth MOVE MA.
Community Impact
Inclusivity: The festival emphasizes the inclusion of historically marginalized groups, including Black, Indigenous, POC, LGBTQIA+, refugees, immigrants, and persons living with disabilities.
Economic Boost: Supporting local businesses and artisans through vendor participation.
Cultural Enrichment: Promoting cultural diversity and artistic expression within the community.
Testimonials
“RcR is more than just a festival, it’s when the community comes together to celebrate all that we’ve created in the past year. I’m excited to be apart of the Mount Rushmore that puts this event together, from the ground up.”
- BaeAk, Artist
“The thing that excites me the most about RcR is the diversity in performances. From acts i know well to new ones i’ve never heard of across all genres and tons of talent. It’s an honor to perform in front of an open minded and accepting crowd.”
- DeAundre Smith, Guitarist, Provenance
"It has been a pleasure to be part of each iteration of the River City Festival & watching it grow more through the power of our local communities coming together; it surely has been a group effort getting to this point.
The wide range of artists, musicians, and creatives that have come together provide a great synergy with each other despite the differences amongst us, which is a beautiful thing to see. I look forward to seeing this year be a quality experience as well!"
- AV-8, Founder of Respected Rejectz
Sponsorship
If you would like to become a Sponsor, choose a cause to support and make a difference in our community:
🥉 Bronze Sponsor ($250.00): Covers basic infrastructure costs such as tables, chairs, and signage. Benefits: Recognition on event signage and in the event program. Mention in our social media thank-you post.
🥈 Silver Sponsor ($500.00): Supports advanced infrastructure needs and promotional materials. Benefits: In addition to the previous tier, logo placement on the event website. Opportunity to provide promotional materials at the event.
🥇 Gold Sponsor ($1,000.00): Ensures we can pay our artists, musicians, and performers equitably. Benefits: In addition to the previous tiers, recognition on stage during the event. Larger logo placement in marketing materials.
💍 Platinum Sponsor ($2,500.00): Support significant festival costs and enhance our offerings. Benefits: In addition to the previous tiers, opportunity to speak at the event. Featured in our event press releases. Prominent
💎 Diamond Sponsor ($5,000.00): Supports the overall growth and sustainability of the festival. Benefits: In addition to the previous tiers, exclusive naming rights for a specific area (e.g., Beer Garden, Main Stage). Customized sponsorship benefits based on sponsor preferences.
Thank You
Thank you to our sponsors, partners, and participants for their support and involvement with our annual festival!
The festival's mission is to celebrate and enrich the community through arts and culture.
This festival is in partnership with and sponsored by Fidelity Bank MA with the Frosty Flyer ice cream truck, The Cellar, Tiny Fest, Young Coff33 Productions, Thurston Consort, Looks Legit, Iridescent Soul Trade, DJ Chippy, and Fitchburg Creative City Partnership, which is funded by MassDevelopment/TDI and the Barr Foundation. Fitchburg Creative is one component of a broader “TDI Creative Cities” initiative to boost arts-based economic development and is led by the Fitchburg Art Museum, Fitchburg State University, the City of Fitchburg, InTown Fitchburg, NewVue Communities, the Fitchburg Cultural Alliance, and CoFF33 Corp.
About CoFF33 Corp
CoFF33 Corp is dedicated to harnessing the power of arts and culture to empower communities. As a creative business incubator, we focus on underserved and marginalized creatives and entrepreneurs. Our initiatives cultivate the local and regional creative economy, providing platforms for growth, visibility, and innovation.
For Inquiries
Contact Derek Craig, Chief Visionary Officer of CoFF33 Corp. at admin@coff33corp.org
https://www.coff33corp.org/rcrrf • https://rcrrf.eventbrite.com
IG: @Coff33Corp
FB event: 3rd Annual River City Rhythm & Rock Fest
