An Inside Look at The Galactic Get-Down 2018

Third time’s a charm for The Galactic Get-Down!  This jam festival announced phase one of their line up and it’s a bigger and better than ever, just fitting for their third annual appearance. The rolling hills of Southern Minnesota will hold the Midwest’s funkiests, jammiest, out-of-this-world acts known to aliens and humans alike. The space themed festival takes place August 2 – 4 in Houston, Minnesota which is about 2.5 hours from Minneapolis, 4 hours from Des Moines and 25,000 light-years away from the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.  

“The Galactic Get Down is a music festival created by music lovers, with music lovers, for music lovers,” said John Mehren of Vicarious Visions.

The grassroot event is hosted by Vicarious Visions, Seahorse Productions and your funky friends, Dead Larry. Dead Larry is accompanied on the line up by That 1 Guy, Useful Jenkins, The Way Down Wanderers, Frogleg, Kind Country, Aaron Kamm and the One Drops, Coral Creek, Ginstrings, Natty Nation and many more.

“We have combined our growing momentum with our desire to hold true to what has made us successful in the beginning: creating an intimate, and family friendly environment,” shared Mehren.

June, July and August nights in Southern Minnesota provide an inspiring view of the Milky Way. Event organizers wanted to insure that the location of the event was easily accessible to Dead Larry’s fan base of Funky Friends as well as provided an unforgettable view of the stars. Previously, the festival was held in Lanesboro but their quick growth has called for larger facilities. The event is moving 35 minutes East, down the Root River to Outback Ranch in Houston, Minnesota.

“Having a space-themed festival, we wanted the greatest light show to be provided by the Milky Way” shared, Mehren.

The festival will be stepping up their efforts towards a low environmental impact by providing incentives for attendees to keep the grounds clean, passing out collection bags at the front gate and a parking discount for attendees that carpool. Other new features include a tie-dye workshop where attendees can hand craft their own festival memorabilia.

Also new this year is Romerdome Silent Jamz. The experience primered last September at Shagri-La 2017, another Southern Minnesota festival. Radios and headphones will be provided for attendees to tune in to the funky jam sounds of New Element and El Dub. Best part is, participants will be able to take the music with them if the choose to dance elsewhere or lay in the grass and stargaze.

“For me, it’s all about assembling this gigantic inter-dependent and autonomous creation. When you put all the parts together, it creates something that people can enjoy and forget about their daily stresses or worries,” said Mehren. “I like to take moments during the weekend to just silently observe people as they dance, laugh, smile, sing, hug and more. It’s a pretty incredible thing to put all your time and energy into an event like this and then to see it all come together, and the joy that it brings.”

If you’re looking to “get down on it,” early bird tickets are on sale and can be purchased at the events website, www.galacticgetdown.com. Opportunities to vend, create art, and volunteer are also available. In the meantime, check out official Galactic Get-Down playlist.

Photos by: Vicarious Visions