The 2015 installment of the ARISE Music Festival is set to kick off on August 7-9 at the scenic Sunrise Ranch in Loveland, CO.
The three-day camping event will feature headlining performances with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, The Polish Ambassador, Emanicpator Ensemble, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Ozomatli, Trevor Hall, Rising Appalachia alongside over 100 live performances across 6 stages.
The ARISE Music Festival first came to life at the picturesque Sunrise Ranch just west of the town of Loveland, CO in the summer of 2013 -- bringing forth a full-bodied, innovative festival experience with a tangible uplifting vibe. While the two main stages and the electronic zone will always be the ARISE Festival's primary attractions, the 3-day gathering is also filled with yoga classes, health-oriented workshops, celebrity and environmentally active presenters, along with a children’s village and parades each day.
Much more than just a concert experience, ARISE offers an array of interactive daytime activities, camping opportunities and a vending village that showcases a bohemian-style specialty coffee shop with a full espresso bar, unique craft vendors, delicious organic and natural food vendors and trucks, and unique goods from around the world.
At every twist and turn, ARISE offers a visual feast for the eyes and an experience for the senses. As roving puppeteers, stilt walkers, large-scale art installations and live painters dot the valley, it is clear that the annual ARISE Festival devotes as much energy into showcasing varied art forms as it does it's main attraction...live music.
Taking a peek under the proverbial hood of the festival one might find that ARISE Festival’s mechanics are grounded in conscious environmental ethics. Located on an organic farm with over 100 acres of festival grounds, ARISE puts a considerable amount of effort into greening up the “leave no trace” event by implementing high standards of sustainability practices and environmental stewardship. Local event service provider ZERO HERO empowers attendees with the knowledge and systems needed to easily recycle and compost and divert waste. The event also prides itself in providing FREE drinking water to festival attendees, choosing not to allow the sale of water in plastic bottles, and encouraging festival-goers to bring their refillable water bottles. ARISE has also aligned with Fort Collins-based non-profit Trees Water & People to plant a tree for every ticket sold.
For music fans interested in sustainable gardening techniques, The Polish Ambassador will host a Permaculture Action Day at Sunrise Ranch on Thursday, August 6th. The Action Day includes earth-based, hands-on projects and educational techniques in the study of permaculture design. For those who want to dive deeper, The Polish Ambassador also be hosting an Intensive Permaculture Course in the 3 days leading up to the festival at Sunrise Ranch. The course is a comprehensive program that will take students through the permaculture design process; touching on soils, water, forest gardening, appropriate technology, and several other aspects of whole systems design. With a focus on catalyzing social transformation, intensive attendees will learn techniques for regenerating ecology, as well as explore community building through action-oriented organizing. The Intensive Permaculture Course will only be available to 30 preregistered guests and will be an additional cost for participants. (Details for the Action Day can be found here).
Perhaps one of things that makes ARISE stand out from most of the other festivals in Colorado's vibrant music scene is a commitment to book distinct artists covering diverse musical genres that brings a richly well-rounded approach to live entertainment. Day and night, festival goers can enjoy over 100 live bands at any of the six stages or just take in the pristine views from one of the onsite bars or beer gardens.
2015 highlights include daily playshop sessions with featured artists along with a rousing discussion on engagement in social issues with Alex Ebert (Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros) and Josh Fox (award winning writer/director of HBO's Gasland documentary films).
The festival will run from August 7-9 at Sunrise Ranch in Loveland CO, just over an hour from Denver, 45 minutes from Boulder and less that 25 minutes from Fort Collins, in the Colorado Foothills. A full range of upgrade options including VIP passes, Early Camping, Car Camping and Day Passes are available on the event website.
It is also worth noting that ARISE Music Festival is a family friendly event, with free tickets for children 12 and under and half priced Youth Tickets for 13-17 year olds. For the full music line-up and schedule, and to purchase tickets check out www.AriseFestival.com.
