About TownEventsHome & Entertaining

Festival Fun & Philanthropy

Arkansas’ own majestic Mulberry Mountain in Ozark will again play host to the sights and sounds of people laughing, dancing and standing in awe as live music stalls them in the present moment. Wakarusa Music Festival is bringing in popular bands such as Umphrey’s McGee, Flaming Lips, STS9, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and Michael Franti & Spearhead – just to name a few.

We love a good time with friends + music. What you may not know about Wakarusa – and what caught our eye – is its philanthropic involvement. Teaming up with many national and local nonprofits, Wakarusa’s “BLVD to a Better World” is dedicated to helping promote this philanthropic vision through political, environmental, health and social activism.

During the festival – June 5-8 – the nonprofits will be located in the BLVD to a Better World area near the Midway vending area.

Partners include Conscious Alliance, which is focused on feeding the hungry through organized food drives at music and sporting events; HeadCount, who works with musicians to promote participation in democracy; and Love Hope Strength, an organization that registers bone marrow donors. Last year alone, Conscious Alliance raised more than 4,000 meals from its Wakarusa “Art that Feeds” drive for the Arkansas Foodbank chapter in Fort Smith. Conscious Alliance offers limited edition festival posters as an incentive for fans to donate non-perishable food items. Local partnerships include Multiple Sclerosis Society-Arkansas Chapter and Feed Communities.

Festival Director Brett Mosiman says Wakarusa has always been about Mother Nature, sustainability and giving back. “Wakarusa goes above and beyond traditional nonprofit partnerships by engaging fans in the Wakarusa Gives Back program. Now in its second year, Wakarusa Gives Back has incentivized more than 3,000 digital street team participants to take part in community-driven service activities.” Each member is given the opportunity to donate six hours of their time in exchange for credits that may be used for backstage passes, behind-the-scenes tours and free festival tickets. Participants have completed hundreds of hours of community service over its two-years of existence.

Now that’s philanthropy in action with a little fun mixed in – just the way we like it.

Visit www.wakarusa.com for more information.

Inviting Arkansas

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Stay up-to-date on our latest news!