Wakarusa Music Festival

Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival was a four-day music festival held annually in early June from 2004 to 2015 at Mulberry Mountain near Ozark, Arkansas.
Named for the Wakarusa River, the festival was first held at Clinton State Park immediately outside of Lawrence, Kansas. It moved to its new location, just outside Fort Smith and Fayetteville, Arkansas in 2009. The festival is known for an eclectic mix of music and has featured artists like Grammy award winners the Black Keys, The Flaming Lips, Wilco, and Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Activities other than music included disc golf, yoga, hiking, and swimming in the Mulberry River.

History

The festival grew dramatically from only 5,000 attendees at the initial 2004 Wakarusa to a record 20,000 in 2011.

Along with the Grammy Award-winning artists, other national known touring artists include: STS9, Pretty Lights, Primus, Ben Harper, Neko Case, The Black Keys, Ben Folds, O.A.R., The String Cheese Incident, My Morning Jacket, Gov't Mule, Slightly Stoopid, Umphrey's McGee, The John Butler Trio, The Disco Biscuits, Thievery Corporation, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Yonder Mountain String Band, Leftover Salmon, Bassnectar, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Les Claypool, Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers, Keller Williams, Cake, Widespread Panic, The Werks and many side projects of members of the Grateful Dead, including the Mickey Hart Band and Bill Kreutzmann's project 7 Walkers. After moving from Clinton Lake State Park in Lawrence, KS to Mulberry Mountain in Ozark, AR, the festival has continued to make a name for itself and grows larger with each coming festival season.

2004

The 2004 Wakarusa was held June 17 through June 20 in Clinton State Park near Lawrence, Kansas.

On June 17, the artists that performed were Arthur Dodge, Benevento-Russo Duo, Big Metal Rooster, Ekoostik Hookah, Mindy Smith, Moonshine Still, The Schwag and Particle. The headline act that performed on this day was Sound Tribe Sector 9.

On June 18, the artists that performed were Bockman's Euphio, The Bottle Rockets, Drums & Tuba, Forty Twenty, Galactic, Green Lemon Band, Greyhounds, Hackensaw Boys, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Jazz Mandolin Project, Keller Williams, Leftover Salmon,
Lucero, Marc Broussard, MOFRO, Mother Kali, Papa Mali, Particle, Perpetual Groove, Robbie Fulks, Slobberbone, Sound Tribe Sector 9, Speakeasy, Split Lip Rayfield, Tanner Walle, Theresa Andersson, Tishamingo and Woven. The headline artist that performed on this day was Robert Randolph.

On June 19, the artists that performed were 4 Fried Chickens & A Coke, Big Wu, Bob Schneider, Bockman's Euphio, BR549, Derek Trucks Band, Exit Clov, Galactic, Garaj Mahal, Greyhounds, Guided by Voices, Hackensaw Boys, Hairy Apes BMX, Indigenous, James McMurtry, Jazz Mandolin Project, Kaki King, Leftover Salmon, MOFRO, Monte Montgomery, Motet, Particle, Pomeroy, Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise, Robert Walter's 20th Congress, Shanti Groove, Signal Path, Spoon and Tea Leaf Green. The headline act that performed on this day was O.A.R.

On June 20, the artists that performed were Barefoot Manner, Big Wu, Chris Duarte, Dewayn Brothers, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Donna the Buffalo, Drive-By Truckers, Hello Superworld, Hot Buttered Rum String Band, Indigenous, Jennifer Hartswick Band, Los Lonely Boys, Lost Trailers, Mission 19, Mountain of Venus, Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise, The Samples, Split Lip Rayfield, Steve Poltz, Tea Leaf Green and Weary Boys. The headline act that performed on this day were The North Mississippi Allstars.

2005

The 2005 Wakarusa was held June 16 through June 19 in Clinton State Park near Lawrence, Kansas.

On June 16, the artists that performed were 56 Hope Road, Animal Liberation Orchestra, Arthur Dodge & the Horsefeathers, Backyard Tire Fire, Big Metal Rooster, Bockman, Carbon Leaf, Chubby Carrier, Deep Fried Pickle Project, Eckobase, Floodplane, Green Lemon Band, Groovelight, Hairy Apes BMX, The Helping Phriendly Band, Jeff and Vida, Jervis Jort, Lotus, Papa Mali, Perpetual Groove, The Schwag, Speakeasy, The Station, Sound Tribe Sector 9, Ten Mile Tide and the Two High String Band. The headline act that performed on this day was Umphrey's McGee.

On June 17, the artists that performed were Animal Liberation Orchestra, Arkamo Ranger Moore, Healey Cindy, Woolf Mark Blilyeu Band, Brother Bagman, Calexico, Carbon Leaf, Conspirator, The Gourds, The Grand Fiasco, Groovatron, Hairy Apes BMX, John Brown's Body, Madahoochi, Matisyahu, Moonshine Still, Mountain of Venus, North Mississippi Allstars, Ozomatli, Papa Mali, Particle, Perpetual Groove, Railroad Earth, Robert Bradley, Shanti Groove, Son Volt, Steel Train, Sound Tribe Sector 9, Tea Leaf Green, Ten Mile Tide, Tiffany Christopher Band and Umphrey's McGee. The headline act that performed on this day was The String Cheese Incident.

On June 18, the artists that performed were 4 Fried Chickens & A Coke, Ari Hest, Big Metal Rooster, Blueground Undergrass, Buttermilk Boys, Charliehorse, Donna the Buffalo, Galactic, The Gourds, Gov't Mule, Green Lemon Band, Greyhounds, Hackensaw Boys, Hot Buttered Rum String Band, Jazz Mandolin Project, John Butler Trio, Junior Brown, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Lazy Joe, Matisyahu, Mocean Worker, MOFRO, Moonshine Still, Neko Case, New Monsoon, Particle, Pnuma, Risky Shift Phenomenon, Robert Bradley, Rose Hill Drive, The Samples, Shanti Groove, Split Lip Rayfield, Steel Train, The Stone Band, The String Cheese Incident, Tea Leaf Green and Yossarian's Lament. The headline act that performed on this day was Wilco.

On June 19, the artists that performed were Alabaster Brown, Ari Hest, Big Head Todd & The Monsters, The Big Wu, Blueground Undergrass, Chubby Carrier, Donna the Buffalo, Galactic, Greyhounds, Hello Superworld, Hot Buttered Rum String Band, Jazz Mandolin Project, Kasey Rausch's Winfield Revival, Little Feat, MOFRO, New Monsoon, Old Crow Medicine Show, Proto-Kaw, Pomeroy, The Samples, The Schwag, Shady Deal, Split Lip Rayfield and Xavier Rudd. The headline act that performed on this day was Matisyahu.

2006

The 2006 Wakarusa was held June 8 through June 11 in Clinton State Park near Lawrence, Kansas.

On June 8, the artists that performed were 56 Hope Road, Alfred Howard & K23 Orchestra, Arthur Dodge, The Avett Brothers, Bootyjuice, Brass 'n' Grass, The Buffali, Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, Cosmopolitics, Delta Nove, DeWayn Brothers, The Disco Biscuits, E-Bon, Ghosty, Gooding, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Green Lemon, Groovatron, Hackensaw Boys, Jackie Greene, Lotus, Madahoochi, Nipplez, Papa Rhino, Perpetual Groove, Pnuma Trio, The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, Ric Roberts, Rob Lee, Samantha Stollenwerk, Todd Snider, Trampled by Turtles, Virginia Coalition

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