For a few years now, Vermont's Waking Windows has positioned itself as a more manageable, less expensive, and way more local alternative to SXSW. Now the three-day music and arts (and pretty much everything else) festival in the city of Winooski has unveiled the partial performer lineup for its 2018 edition, which goes down May 4 to 6, and it's got us properly stoked.
Taking part in this year's Waking Windows are Deer Tick, Noname, Bully, The Districts, Palm, Jaw Gems, Anna Wise, Rough Francis, Lina Tullgren, Bow Thayer, Sammus, Anais Mitchell, the wonderfully named Ellen Degenerates, and a few dozen others. Peep the flyer below for the full list, and start squinting at those small-font acts.
For the uninitiated, Waking Windows feels a lot like SXSW, with live performances going on in the various venues and spaces around Winooski's city center, located a short drive over from Burlington.
Last year's event, covered and documented by Ben Stas, welcomed more than 180 bands to its two larger outdoor stages and a spectrum of performances spaces around Winooski's walkable network of bars, restaurants, cafes, vacant storefronts, and churches.
"We've got most of the bands booked," writes the festival on its homepage, "but there are more ways to get involved in Waking Windows: Volunteer, Make Some Art, Vend at the Artist Market, Vend from your Food Truck, Give a Talk, Do a reading, make something up. Get involved!
Scan through Stas' gallery from Waking Windows 2017, which included performances by Downtown Boys, Doug Tuttle, Real Estate, Open Mike Eagle, Dan Deacon, Big Thief, and many, many others. Featured Bully image up top by Alysse Gafkje.
