The McDowell Mountain Music Festival took place for the thirteenth year in a row — bringing musical talent from all over the country to downtown Phoenix with all proceeds going to charity — and organizers said they are on track to double the amount of money they made for charity last year after the festival this March.
The festival is the only 100 percent nonprofit music festival in Arizona, according to its website. Last year the festival raised $50,000, and this year organizers said they are hoping to bring in around $100,000. Nate Largay, public relations coordinator for McDowell Mountain Music Festival, said early signs of reaching that goal are looking good.
“Donating proceeds has always been the basis for the festival over the 12 years, and now 13 years, it has been in existence,” Largay said. “Charity was the whole reason the festival started in the first place. The festival was designed to be a communal effort to give back to the same community that we’ve been a part of our entire lives.”
Proceeds for this year’s festival went to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation and UMOM New Day Center, and they have been beneficiaries for the past few years, Largay said.
“We all believe they target the local charity aspects that have the best outcomes for their efforts,” he added. “Community involvement and support is the best local effort we’ve benefitted for 13 years, and we strongly believe these two charities provide the best grassroots and youth commitment in the city of Phoenix.”
Patricia Barney, the special events coordinator for the Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation, said the music festival has already raised more than $50,000 for the hospital’s Hope Fund, which helps Phoenix Children’s Hospital launch critical new programs, purchase essential equipment, conduct cutting-edge research, provide charitable care, and more.
“The Hope Fund is the most flexible and valuable way donors can support Phoenix Children’s Hospital, allowing us to meet new challenges and take advantage of opportunities as they arise,” Barney said.
In the past, the festival has donated to other charities like Ear Candy, which has now gone national and changed its name to Little Kids Rock, Largay said.
“They still function the same as they did back when, but they supported local music by accepting donations and used gear in order to support local youth music programs,” he said. “The communities they supported were underprivileged, so it really blends well with our charity selection over the last 13 years.”
Since moving the festival to Margaret T. Hance Park three years ago, the event has been a great way to bring more people downtown, said Sara Anderson, special events and marketing manager at Downtown Phoenix Partnership.
“The event plays a huge role in getting people more aware of all the cool things happening downtown and the potential this area has in terms of living, working and playing,” Anderson said.
The festival has been able to bring in all kinds of musical talent including Passion Pit, Phantogram, Blues Traveler, Ben Harper, Slightly Stoopid, The Shins, The Roots, and more.
Largay said the talent is selected by a committee of people ranging in all ages, and the selection process is taken very seriously.
“We all love the genres of the world, and we love to hear about our diversity because it is very, very diverse, especially for a festival that is considered to be on the smaller side,” Largay said. “We’ve played everything from hip-hop to gospel, jam and jazz to electro-indie, so it’s a prideful aspect to our organization, and it’s a matter that is carefully monitored from beginning to end.”
Largay said he’s been happy to be able to raise money for great charities.
“They both provide incredible support for underprivileged families and children in need, so we’ve been ecstatic to have them a part of our team,” he said.
The positive relationship between McDowell Mountain Music Festival and Phoenix Children’s Hospital flows both ways.
“The festival has brought awareness and funds for Phoenix Children’s Hospital and the city of Phoenix,” Barney said. “We are grateful for their partnership and know that their impact is vast.”
Contact the reporter at Sara.Vermilyea@asu.edu.
