In a year filled with festival cancellations due to rising production costs and severe weather, All Things Go festival has taken the opposite approach and doubled down. After 10 years in Washington, DC, organizers of All Things Go have announced that they will be adding a New York edition on the same weekend of September 28-29 at Forest Hills Stadium. With more than 40,000 fans on a waiting list annually, according to partner ATG Stephen Valimarescuthe additional location felt less like a gamble and more like meeting demand.
“By hosting both festivals on the same weekend, we are able to better serve our community and offer a lineup that we believe is best in class,” says Vallimarescu Bulletin board.
For several years, ATG has made a concerted effort to create lineups that reflect its growing community. As of 2018, the highest-billed artists on their lineup are female or non-binary musicians, including Lorde, HAIM, Mitski, Maggie Rogers, Chvrches, Lana Del Rey, Boygenius, Carly Rae Jepsen, Charli XCX, and more. And equality is not only represented in gender. With artists like MUNA, Girl in Red, King Princess, Arlo Parks, Fletcher, MICHELLE, St. Vincent, Tegan and Sara and Ethel Cain, over the last five years ATG has acquired some of the most LGBTQ+ lineups outside of LGBTQ+ events (and even many special LGBTQ+ events) and earning the nicknames “gaychella” and “lesbopalooza”.
This year ATG has landed some of the hottest names on tour including Laufey, Remi Wolf, Hozier, Janelle Monáe, Rene Rapp and Chappell Roan, who amassed a record number of festivals.
“We have Hozier, Conan Gray and Bleachers appearing on our DC-area lineup with Laufey, Reneé Rapp, Janelle Monáe and Chappell Roan topping the bill,” says the ATH partner. Will Sutter. “We've been able to see each of these artists perform live – either in clubs or at festivals – and we're expecting big sets from each of them.”
Bulletin board spoke with Vallimarescu, Suter and ATG director of partnerships and experiences Carly Wembert to discuss the development of the festival, their embrace of the “lesbopalooza” moniker, and how they managed to book the right acts at the right time.
Why did you decide to add an extra All Things Go on the same weekend as Washington, DC?
Valimarescu: After growing the festival over the past decade in Washington, DC, and with over 40,000 fans on the waiting list annually, the decision to establish an additional festival in New York City was a natural step. We were inspired by the success of festivals such as Reading and Leeds and recognized that coordinating artists between the two markets on the same weekend would allow us to curate the most exciting line-up. This approach is especially helpful for international artists, who are a growing portion of our lineup and often find it difficult to travel to the US for a single show.
How did you land in New York for this second location?
Valimarescu: New York City has always been on our radar, despite its reputation as a challenging market for festivals. The turning point for us was reconnecting with Mike Luba, the visionary behind Forest Hills Stadium. The unparalleled atmosphere that he and his team have cultivated at the venue made it clear that this was the perfect location to bring the magic of All Things Go. There's clearly a void in New York City for a new music-centric festival experience, and we're excited to see the excitement surrounding our inaugural year.
How was the reception in the compositions for both versions?
Valimarescu: The reception to the compositions for both versions has been amazing. Both festivals sold out immediately, with hundreds of thousands of fans lining up for tickets — a reaction we don't take for granted, especially at a time when many established festivals are facing challenges.
Our approach to booking the festival, often more than a year in advance, focuses on creating a lineup that peaks at the right time and showcases the next generation of artists. This year, artists like Reneé Rapp, Chappell Roan and Laufey are at the forefront of this new era and we are very grateful to be working with them.
Why is it important for ATG to have a strong lineup of female and non-binary artists?
Shooter: So much of our artist bookings are based on feedback from our audience – and it's become a clear direction that supports female and non/binary artist-dominated bands, especially as we've gone several stages and focused on our genre. The Book More Women website has a methodology that has our festival in the DC area at about 58% women/non-binary and NYC at 93%.
Was your mission at ATG to be “gaychella” or “lesbopalooza”?
Shooter: “Lesbopalooza” is a term coined by MUNA's Naomi McPherson closing our stage at Chrysalis in 2023 – and it's definitely stuck. “Gaychella” appeared around the announcement of the 2023 lineup in a few TikTok videos. Our mission has been to create a festival and space that reflects our community – it's a mission that has evolved over time, as has our direct communication with our fans through Discord, Boomfy's Besties Fan Club and other initiatives. fans. closer dialogue with many of the artists in the lineup.
How do you feel about the moment queer women are having in pop culture right now? Dominated by Chappell, Reneé Rapp, MUNA, etc.?
Webbert: Queer women have a long history in the spotlight, but it seems that there has been a noticeable shift in the positive reception of these artists. With the growing bigotry of this generation of pop stars, there has been an even sharper increase in self-expression and pride in being queer. Look at Chappell Roan for example, she grew up under the belief system that being gay was a sin. Many of the artists in the All Things Go series, along with their communities, share a history of shame about their sexuality. We feel that we are collectively shedding this repressed part of ourselves and creating an environment of acceptance. It's beautiful — we have a lot of embracing who we are and being truly seen happening.
Aside from the lineup, how does ATG create an inclusive environment at the festival?
Webbert: There is a strong focus on representation at the festival and how we shape advocacy/mission based organizations such as Propeller, The Ally Coalition, Reverb, Calling All Crows, Headcount, Women in Music and Amplify Her Voice. Last year, we had an activism village on-site at the DC-area festival where fans could interact with different nonprofits and get involved in a meaningful way. Our community is purposeful and, including LGBTQ+, environmental, healthcare, voter registration and other organizations, we recognize a clear passion for creating the change our community wants. Having said that, we hope that over the years this side of our festival will grow and we will be able to have an increased number of diverse voices represented across our programme.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/pro/all-things-go-new-york-gaychella-interview/