x
Breaking News
More () »

Treefort Music Fest 2023: what you need to know

The 11th Treefort Music Fest is next month! The festival details you need to know, and what is expected for the "forts" of Treefort Music Fest 2023.

BOISE, Idaho — Treefort Music Fest has just unveiled their full map and details for Treefort Music Fest 2023, taking place March 22-26 at Julia Davis Park in downtown Boise.

What you need to know about the festival, the different types of admission and passes, zones and of course...the "forts" of Treefort.

Need-to-know festival highlights:

•    The main hub of Treefort Music Fest will be in the West section of Julia Davis Park, between Capitol Boulevard and Zoo Boise, starting Wednesday, March 22 through Sunday, March 26.  

•    There will be two zones within Julia Davis Park: the Fort Zone (free & public) and the Wristband Zone (passholders). 

•    All attendees will enter the park through the Main Entrance, facing Capitol Boulevard, just south of the Boise Art Museum. All attendees, regardless of passholder status, will go through security upon entering the park.

•    There will be NO passes sold within the park; only pre-purchased passes can be picked up within the park. To purchase a pass during the festival, visit the Box Office located at Treefort Music Hall (722 W Broad Street) or purchase online.

•    All passholders get half-off admission to Zoo Boise during Treefort week!

Credit: Treefort Music Fest


Part of what makes the festival so unique and inclusive for all ages and people with varying activity levels, is that it includes other "forts" such as Storyfort, Yogafort, Skatefort, Alefort and other events all festival long.

Zones and "Forts":

•    THE FORT ZONE is free and open to the public. It includes many forts and activities like Alefort, Kidfort, Radioland, Ranger Station, food trucks, bars, restrooms, water stations and merch/token sales. 

•    THE WRISTBAND ZONE will require a Five-Day, Single-Day or Main Stage pass to enter. This zone includes Main Stage, Hideout Stage, the Garden Dome, art installations and more. 

•    ARTFORT 2023 (free & open to all ages) will have performances and visual artists, including Starbelly Dancers, BRENDA ARTS, and Colossal Collective, as well as artists painting live murals during the fest and two special artist showcases.

•     COMEDYFORT 2023 (requires a Festival Pass) headlined by Emmy and Grammy nominated stand-up comedian Tig Notaro. Individual tickets to see Tig are sold out, but Festival Passholders will have first come, first served seating on the second level/mezzanine of The Egyptian.

•     FILMFORT 2023 (requires a Festival Pass or Filmfort Pass for $30) has feature films and short films which will screen in blocks of 5-6 films daily.

•     FOODFORT 2023 (are ticketed) On Wednesday, March 22, James Beard Nominee and Food & Wine's Best New Chef of 2021, Chef Ji Hye Kim will create an intimate dinner exploring Korean cuisine. On Thursday, March 23, Street Eats will return. On Saturday, March 26, Virginia's five-time World Barbecue Champion Tuffy Stone is hosting a mouth-watering BBQ.

•     HACKFORT 2023 (requires a Festival or Hackfort Pass for $30, open to all ages) has announced several workshops happening at the fest, including Build Your Own Custom Keyboard, Solderfort 101: An introduction to basic soldering, a Lock Picking Lounge, and more interactive activities.

•     KIDFORT 2023 (free & open to all ages) has programming for the younger crowds at Treefort Music Fest and has announced additional workshops happening during the fest, including Folky Fun for Families with Boise Music Lessons and the Aerial Circus Show.

•     PODFORT 2023 (free & open to the public) is for all things Podcasts. More than 20 podcasts will be doing live recordings at the fest, including improv4humans with Matt Besser, High and Mighty with Jon Gabrus, Sloppy Seconds with Big Dipper and Meatball and more!

•     STORYFORT 2023 (free & open to all ages) brings in some of the most influential young and emerging writers in the country, including Kevin Maloney, New York Times Bestselling author Jonathan Evison, Tomás Baiza, and Parker Young. 

•     MUSIC TALKS (free & open to all ages) will feature the industry's brightest minds at Treefort Music Fest, discussing the future of music. Made for artists at any point in their career and anyone who is interested in the music industry.

Credit: Treefort Music Fest

Passes are already up for sale and people have a variety of options, ranging from $100 for single-day tickets to Zipline 5-day passes for $420.

All fort events are included in a Five-Day Festival Pass or Single-Day Pass. Fort Badges on sale include: Dragfort ($69), Hackfort ($30), Filmfort ($30), Kidfort Comedy + Stunt Show ($10), and Yogafort ($69). 

For more information about passes and pricing people can go to treefortmusicfest.com.

Kids under the age of 12 are free to attend the event when accompanied by an adult pass holder. Many of the venues, including the main stage, are all-ages, but some are restricted to those 21 and older.

The lineup for the 11th annual music festival boasts 327 artists from 24 countries and 31 states.

Treefort co-founder and festival director, Eric Gilbert, said that the festival is really excited to introduce the public to a wave of new artists. Some Main Stage artists include; Leikeli47, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Margo Price, Surf Curse, Cautious Clay, Ani DiFranco, Godspeed You!, Black Emperor, Lady Wray, Tom The Mail Man, Celisse, Kae Tempest, Built to Spill, Dumbo Gets Mad and many more.

Although the five-day event features a large Main Stage area at Julia Davis Park, performances are also expected to be scattered throughout downtown at various venues.

This is the 11th year for the festival, which began in 2012 as a showcase of Boise's local music and arts community, and also brought some out-of-town bands and artists to the Gem State. The festival continues to focus on independent and emerging national, regional and local artists across a wide range of musical genres.

Treefort Music Fest was recognized in 2015-2017 as the Cultural Ambassador for the City of Boise.

Watch more Local News:

See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist:

Before You Leave, Check This Out