APPLETON (NBC 26) — The Appleton-based music festival Mile of Music announced plans for its ninth annual event Tuesday morning.
Mile of Music said in a statement it anticipates "record-breaking" attendance this summer for the four-day celebration, this year known as "Mile 9."
Organizers confirmed the festival will again be held the first full weekend in August, with music beginning Thursday, Aug. 4 and continuing through Sunday, Aug. 7, with stage locations ranging from Lawrence University on the east end of downtown to Spats and Emmett’s on the west end.
Additionally, Mile of Music on Tuesday released its list of the “First 50” artists set to play at the event.
Here’s the “First 50” grouping of singer-songwriters and bands set to play, with communities of origin:
New Artists/First 50:
· Hannah Wicklund -- Nashville, Tenn.
· Celisse – Los Angeles, Calif.
· Dave Hause – Philadelphia, Pa.
· Making Movies –Kansas City, Mo.
· The Brevet –Orange County, Calif.
· Will Kimbrough – Nashville, Tenn.
· GYASI – Nashville, Tenn.
· The Black Feathers – Cwmaman, Wales, U.K.
· Sawyer Fredericks – Upstate, N.Y.
· Gabe Lee –Nashville, Tenn.
· Tedious & Brief – Nashville, Tenn.
· WILLIS – Nashville, Tenn.
· Mark Erelli – Boston, Mass.
· Stephie James – Nashville, Tenn.
· TOWNE – Nashville, Tenn.
· Joy Clark – New Orleans, La.
· Courtney Hartman – Eau Claire, Wis.
· Steve Everett –Nashville, Tenn.
· Elevado –Fredericksburg, Va.
· Del Barber –Inglis, Manitoba, Calif.
· Anna Rose – Nashville, Tenn.
· Paisley Fields –New York, N.Y.
· Landon Conrath –Minneapolis, Minn.
· Renee Goust –New York, N.Y.
Returning Artists/First 50:
· Jackie Venson -- Austin, Texas
· Carsie Blanton – Philadelphia, Pa.
· Dan Rodriguez – Minneapolis, Minn.
· Lizzie No –New York, N.Y.
· The Minks –Nashville, Tenn.
· Mike Mains & The Branches –Nashville, Tenn.
· 87 Nights – Charleston, S.C.
· Fox Royale –Joplin, Mo.
· Them Coulee Boys – Eau Claire, Wis.
· Megan Slankard – San Francisco, Calif.
· Erin Zindle & The Ragbirds – Grand Rapids, Mich.
· Lung – Cincinnati, Ohio
· Long Range Hustle – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
· Jon Tyler Wiley & His Virginia Choir – Fredericksburg, Va.
· DeeOhGee –Nashville, Tenn.
· The Talbott Brothers – Portland, Ore.
The majority of the artists coming to Downtown Appleton and the Fox Cities this summer will be announced during the next four to six weeks, Mile of Music says, with nearly 200 original music performers set to be included in this year’s event. Mile of Music says in a statement that about 40 percent of the lineup will be performers from Wisconsin, including artists from the Fox Cities.
Attendance at Mile 8 last summer was impacted by inclement weather that lasted all day on Saturday, the festival’s busiest day, as well as continuing concerns from the pandemic, Mile of Music said. But event organizers say this year, officials are prepping for larger crowds than ever.
Dave Willems, whose Appleton marketing and events firm created and launched the festival in 2013, said the Mile planning team wouldn’t be surprised to see overall attendance for the four days top 100,000 for the first time.
Mile of Music organizers estimate the Mile 9 spending impact may exceed $5 million for the week of the festival in August. More information can be found on the event's website.
