The Fest

{{short description|American music festival}} {{Use American English|date=October 2022}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}} {{Infobox music festival | name = The Fest | image = The Fest Logo.png | image_size = | alt = | caption = The Fest logo | genre = {{hlist|Hardcore punk|emotional hardcore|melodic hardcore|post-hardcore|punk rock|indie rock|metalcore}} | dates = May, October, November | location = Gainesville, Florida, U.S. | coordinates = | years_active = 2002–present | founders = {{hlist|Tony Weinbender}} | organised = {{hlist|No Idea Records}} | attendance = ~4,000 | capacity = | website = {{URL|https://thefestfl.com}} }}

'''The Fest''' is an annual music festival in Gainesville, Florida, United States, which takes place on the weekend of the Florida–Georgia football game (around Halloween). Originally organized by Tony Weinbender, formerly of No Idea Records, it predominantly features punk rock, hardcore punk, and pop-punk artists, though there are also numerous indie rock, metalcore, metal, and ska bands.<ref name=":9">{{cite web |last=Levine |first=David |date=May 18, 2015 |title=The Fest 14 adds bands (Title Fight, The Progress, Modern Life Is War, As Friends Rust, Smoke or Fire, PBTT, Bigwig, more) |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/the-fest-14-add/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320020008/https://www.brooklynvegan.com/the-fest-14-add/ |archive-date=March 20, 2016 |access-date=December 30, 2021 |website=BrooklynVegan |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Francischine |first=Tyler |date=October 24, 2012 |title=The punk-rock infusion of Fest 11 |url=http://www.gainesville.com/article/20121025/ENT/121029826 |accessdate=May 4, 2017 |work=The Gainesville Sun}}</ref>

==History== thumb|left|Live performance of Zeta at the Fest 17

The first The Fest festival took place on May 24–25, 2002,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2002-05-29 |title=THE FEST |url=http://www.thefestfl.com/ |access-date=2025-02-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020529155718/http://www.thefestfl.com/ |archive-date=May 29, 2002 }}</ref> but starting with The Fest II, it was moved to the weekend of October 17–18, 2003.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-11-12 |title=THE FEST V |url=http://www.thefestfl.com/index.html |access-date=2025-02-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061112132551/http://www.thefestfl.com/index.html |archive-date=November 12, 2006 }}</ref>

It has since attracted a large turnout throughout the years. Bands perform across a variety of venues (varying from small bars to large concert halls) in the downtown Gainesville area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gainesville.com/entertainment/20161026/fifteen-years-of-fest|title=Fifteen years of FEST|work=The Gainesville Sun|first=Levi|last=Bradford|date=October 26, 2016|accessdate=May 4, 2017}}</ref>

Fest 20, held October 28-30, 2022, featured headlining acts such as Hot Water Music, The Menzingers, Anti-Flag, The Flatliners, Avail, and Samiam, as well as hundreds of other bands including Algernon Cadwallader, The Bollweevils, [https://www.facebook.com/CelebrationSummer Celebration Summer], SPELLS, The Dopamines, Kali Masi, Heavy Seas, School Drugs and more.

==References== {{Reflist}}

== External links == * [https://thefestfl.com Official website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fest}} Category:2002 establishments in Florida Category:Culture of Gainesville, Florida Category:Heavy metal festivals in the United States Category:Music festivals established in 2002 Category:Music festivals in Florida Category:Music organizations based in the United States Category:Punk rock festivals Category:Rock festivals in the United States