Organizers of an upstart rock music festival in Iowa plan to announce the two headlining performers Tuesday. The 80/35 Music Festival is scheduled for July 4th and 5th in downtown Des Moines. Jill Haverkamp is with the non-profit Des Moines Music Coalition (DMMC), which secured $400,000 to produce the event. "We’re hoping to attract 15,000 people total for the weekend. There are going to be more than 40 bands. This is really an event for a young person in Iowa. The main demographic, for the types of bands we’re choosing, is 15 to 35 year olds," Haverkamp said.
Organizers are hoping the 80/35 Music Festival will eventually rival other outdoor summer concert festivals like Summerfest in Milwaukee, Pitchfork in Chicago and Bonnaroo in Lawrence, Kansas. "There’s been road blocks along the way with trying to the sell the idea of a major music festival in Des Moines to the major players in the music industry, but the reception has been pretty positive so far. I am really excited for the bands that we were able to get…they’re really the cutting-edge, progressive type acts that we were looking for," Haverkamp said.
Tickets for 80/35 will go on sale Friday at www.iowatix.com. A limited number of two-day passes will be sold for $40. After May 1, prices will increase to $50, with single day tickets priced at $30.