Father John Misty Closes Fortress Fest Sunday Night, April 29 in Fort Worth TX | Photo Credit: Benjamin Oliver Hicks | En La Calle On The Street
The second annual Fortress Festival wrapped up Sunday, April 29, boasting almost 10,000 attendees through a late-spring weekend full of sunshine. With attendance up from about 9,000 during its inaugural weekend in 2017, Fortress Festival continues to showcase the dynamism and artistry alive in Fort Worth music, art and business.
Fortress Fest is a partnership between the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and local production and promotions company Fortress Presents. This festival represents a significant effort to present diverse local and national acts in venues accessible to many North Texans. Musician performed genres from indie rock to hip-hop, and everything in between. They impressed audiences as the sun, and eventually full moonlight shined off the Will Rogers coliseum dome.
To open the festivities Friday evening, DJ Christy Ray worked the discs and mixers at FW Blackhouse, while VIP ticket holders enjoyed a cocktail party at Artspace111, as well as exclusive catered meals throughout the weekend. Local performers including Juma Spears, Sammy Kidd, and Francine Thirteen started off performances Saturday inside the auditorium of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
Courtney Barnett at Fortress Festival 2018 in Fort Worth TX | Photo Credit: Benjamin Oliver Hicks | En La Calle On The Street
On Saturday and Sunday, the two main stages situated on opposite sides of the lawn in front of Will Rogers Memorial Center allowed fans to see all of the festival’s performers with ease. Instead of having to trek to other stages or wait on set changes to catch their preferred performances, Fortress Fest-ers could simply turn around 180 degrees to witness every act on the bill. Food vendors and other businesses from across Texas offered food, crafts and products to fuel the weekend and ensure participants brought home fond memories of the festival.
Chromeo (Left) ended Day One of Fortress Fest 2018 with Chicano Batman (Center) and Casablancas of The Voidz | Photo Credit : Benjamin Oliver Hicks | En La Calle On The Street
2018 LINEUP HIGHLIGHTS
Female-led groups: Courtney Barnett, tUnE-yArDs
Hip-Hop: De La Soul, RZA, Rapsody, Shabazz Palaces
Funk & soul: Chromeo, Stone Mecca and his band Chicano Batman, Lee Fields and the Expressions, Ronny Heart
Indie: Father John Misty, The Voidz (Casablancas), Hurray for the Riff Raff, Waxahatchee, Jay Som, Bedouine
Local: The Vandoliers, Henry the Archer, Andy Pickett, Pearl Earl, Midnight Opera
Henry The Archer from Fort Worth TX | Fortress Festival 2018 | Photo Credit: Benjamin Oliver Hicks | En La Calle On The Street
For festivalgoers whose ears needed a rest, the festival’s location in the Cultural District made a quiet retreat easy to find. Ticket holders gained free admission to the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth for the duration of the weekend. The festival’s partnership with the museum allowed attendees the unique opportunity to include world-acclaimed art in their social media feeds. Only in Fort Worth would a festival trip give the chance to snap a selfie with a Picasso.
Fortress Presents is a production and promotions company founded by Aled Jhangiani and Ramtin Nikzad, North Texas natives who also helped establish the Lone Star Film Festival and the Lone Star Film Society in Fort Worth. The Fortress Festival will return for its third year Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28, 2019. Early bird tickets for 2018 festival-goers are already on sale at fortressfest2019.eventbrite.com. A full list of vendors and musicians can be found at FortressFestival.com.
tUnE-yArDs at Fortress Festival 2018 in Fort Worth TX |Fortress Fest Magic | Photo Credit: Benjamin Oliver Hicks | EN La Calle On The Street
