Since its humble origins as a one-day lineup of folk-rock bands at WestWorld, the McDowell Mountain Music Festival – now known as M3F – has evolved into the Valley’s premier homegrown live-music event.
And the 2020 lineup – unveiled this morning by festival founder John Largay – is its biggest, and arguably most star-studded yet.
35 recording artists will perform March 6-8 at Margaret T. Hance Park in Downtown Phoenix, including indie-folk superstar Bon Iver, Aussie synth-rockers Rüfüs Du Sol, surf-rock trio The Growlers and rising indie band Local Natives.
Now in its 17th year, the festival is something of an anomaly in the world of multi-day live-music promotion: A nonprofit venture, it has donated $2,000,000 to Arizona charities since its inception in 2004. And the staff that produces it are not full-time promoters, but employees at Largay’s Wespac Construction, who recruit the bands and organize the festival while juggling their full-time duties at the firm.
Largay, a rock-ribbed jam-band devotee, moved the event from the outskirts of the Valley to Downtown in 2013, triggering a surge in visibility and ticket sales that coincided with the revival of Phoenix’s city core. The festival has grown incrementally bigger over the past several years, from 23 acts in 2015 to this year’s record-setting tally. As with last year’s event, the 35 acts will perform on three stages. The 2019 festival drew an estimated 23,000 fans over three days.
“What really sets us apart from other music festivals, is our choice of artists year after year,” Largay says. “17 years has been a great experience for me and the people of Wespac Construction – to be able to participate in community and culture at this level and watch it affect the resurgence of Downtown Phoenix, to the promotion of music, family spirit and charity – it has been an honor.”
Single-day and 3-day general admission and VIP tickets are currently on sale at M3FFest.com, starting at $60 for a single-day GA wristband and $140 for 3-day GA pass. Find the full roster of acts below.
Bon Iver
Rüfüs Du Sol
Stick Figure
The Growlers
Local Natives
San Holo
Greensky Bluegrass
Sofi Tukker
Moe.
Snakehips
Mayer Hawthorne
The Green
The Infamous Stringdusters
Crooked Colours
Generationals
Cory Wong of Vulfpack
Justin Jay’s Fantastic Voyage
The Funk Hunters
Phantoms
Aqueous
Flamingosis
New Madrid
Maddy O’Neal
Sure Sure
Young Sick N Company
Thumpasaurus
Moby Rich
Neal Francis
Los Colognes
Johnny Utah
Talls Wyld
Toubab Krewe
Bardz
Kharachi
Slwly
The Canaries
Scattered Melodies
Wyves
Shady Gnomes
