Civic Space Park and Crescent Ballroom will be filled with the sound of local Arizona bands Saturday at Los Dias De La Crescent, a free music festival.
Los Dias De La Crescent will feature 17 local Arizona bands throughout the day, along with food trucks and local vendors.
Charlie Levy, owner of music venue Crescent Ballroom, started the festival three years ago to showcase local Arizona talent. He said he wanted to allow people in the Phoenix area to see what the local music scene is capable of.
“A lot of people in Phoenix aren’t familiar with local bands,” Levy said. “Sometimes the best things are right at home and we don’t appreciate it.”
The festival starts at 1:30 p.m. at Civic Space Park, located near Fillmore Street and Central Avenue, and is open to all ages. The festival continues inside Crescent Ballroom at 6:30 p.m., but only for those over 21.
Crescent Ballroom, located on Van Buren Street and Second Avenue, has relationships with many local bands that were excited to play at this event.
Black Carl, a blues-rock band, will play for the all-ages crowd at Civic Space Park on Saturday. The group has performed at Crescent Ballroom often since it opened three years ago.
“Crescent is home to us,” said Emma Pew, lead singer of Black Carl. “We have been playing there since they opened.”
Pew is also a fan of the mission of Los Dias De La Crescent.
“I think it’s cool because it’s all local bands,” Pew said.
Crescent Ballroom’s professionalism and staff make it a favorite of many bands, such as Gospel Claws, an indie-rock band.
Gospel Claws will be performing at the festival for the first time. They will play during the 21+ portion of the festival inside Crescent Ballroom.
“It’s my favorite place to play in the Valley,” said Sloan Walters, guitarist for Gospel Claws. “I think it’s the staff and the quality.”
Performing at this type of event is exciting for Walters because of the more personal atmosphere of Crescent Ballroom.
“We have played on bigger stages before and it feels foreign to not be right in front of the audience,” Walters said.
Levy said the lack of an entrance fee will let many who normally can’t see all these bands attend the festival.
“I wanted a lot of people to come, and now they can’t say they can’t afford it,” Levy said.
Levy hopes this combination of access and talent will draw large crowds on Saturday.
“I’m hoping that people from Phoenix come down to the park and enjoy bands from Arizona,” Levy said. “It’s really more of a celebration of local Arizona bands.”
Crescent Ballroom will also be hosting “Bike-In Movie at the Park” on Sunday, starting at 6 p.m. at Civic Space Park. The event will screen the Nicolas Cage-starring “Raising Arizona,” as well as short films from local artists previously featured at Welcome Diner’s film festival. The event will also be free and is open to all ages, offering food trucks and a bar.
Contact the reporter at Hannah.Johnston@asu.edu
