Shoe Fest

The only hikes I’ve been going on lately are price hikes. Seasonal work has me dealing with feast or famine and unfortunately, the feast is just enough to cover the famine. Then the celestial bodies align and the American dream comes into focus. Believing in your dreams like the constellations in the night sky will lead you back home again on Labor Day weekend to Camp Shaw in Manteno, IL to Shoe Fest.

Shoe Fest newcomers Krasno / Moore Project and Sierra Hull join returning artists Kitchen Dwellers, Oliver Wood Trio who was at the fest in 2014 with the Wood Brothers, Allie Kral, host band Old Shoe, Henhouse Prowlers, Chicago Farmer & the Fieldnotes, Dead Horses, Mr. Blotto, Strange Arrangement, Armchair Boogie and more.

Whatever you do, don’t go to Shoe Fest. Camp Shaw Waw Nas See is basically forgettable. The string-based bands all play at their own slots with no overlapping music. You’ll hate it.

On the eastern edge of the grand prairie lies Camp-Shaw-Waw-Nas-See, near the Kankakee River State Park, 60 miles south of Chicago. It is the host site for Shoe Fest, a location almost as storied in beauty as Nelson Ledges Quarry Park in Ohio.  Labor Day weekend 2022 meant the 10-year anniversary of Shoe Fest at Camp Shaw-Waw-Nas-See. It is a family-friendly festival in the finest of natural surroundings and its success depends on the work of all the players, including Rock Creek.

Shoe Fest welcomes back festival favorites Leftover Salmon, Keller Wiilliams, Allie Kral, host band Old Shoe, Chicago Farmer & the Fieldnotes, and Mr. Blotto along with Shoe Fest newcomers, Todd Sheaffer of Railroad Earth, Steady Flow, Them Coulee Boys, The Hillbenders, The Burney Sisters, Joseph Huber and more.

Shoe Fest has announced its triumphant return on September 3-5, 2021, after taking 2020 off due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with a hard-hitting lineup that all will enjoy.

SHOE FEST has announced their hopeful return on September 3-5, 2021 after taking 2020 off due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Festival organizers are releasing limited amounts of GA tickets, as well as RV Spots and Cabin Reservations. Tickets are on sale now at www.shoe-fest.com.

I’ve had a few whirlwind romances with festivals before, but I’m infatuated with you, dear Shoe Fest 2019. The understated red and gold signs off the highway invited us in and although I cannot find the right words to say, I shall try to express how I love thee. From the moment we entered Camp Shaw-waw-nas-see in Manteno IL, we knew that this would be a truly special Labor Day weekend. There was a twinkle in security’s eyes when they approved our non-firework no glass bottles camper ready wagon. They waved us through as if it were their job to bring the most satisfaction and to welcome us in, accepting us as another member to the Shoe Family Tribe. We quickly and easily parked, gazing out over the sea of cars in anticipation of the festival grounds.

Unlike larger festivals, Shoe Fest is a unique festival, in that it offers patrons folk-rooted music with multiple interactive experiences. The main focus of the festival is on bringing people of all ages together to relish in a carefree community where they can leave their busy lives behind and actually have a good time.

Shoe Fest is proud to announce the first round lineup for the 9th annual festival.  Shoe Fest will once again be held at the beautiful and scenic Camp Shaw-Waw-Nas-See in Manteno, IL (less than 1 hour south of Chicago), Labor Day weekend (August 30-September 1).  Tickets are on sale now with a price increase this Friday, April 19th. Highlights of this year’s initial lineup are multi-Grammy winner and the king of newgrass, Sam Bush and the incomparable singer-songwriter Todd Snider.

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