Omaha’s Maha Festival announces 2023 lineup

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Maha Festival organizers on Wednesday announced the lineup for its 15th summer music event.

Hardcore band Turnstile and alt-folk indie act Big Thief will headline Friday and Saturday night performances, respectively.

Also performing on the festival’s two outdoor music stages are Alvvays, Peach Pit, The Beths, EKKSTACY, Terry Presume, Black Belt Eagle Scout, and Say She She.

The festival will also feature Nebraska-based acts Icky Blossoms, BIB, M34N STR33T, Garst, HAKIM, and Ebba Rose. Additionally, 12 DJs will perform at the NFM Silent Disco throughout the weekend.

Keep scrolling for details about each of these acts.

TICKET INFO

Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday on the Maha Festival website. General admission ticketts will be sold for $50 for a Friday pass, $60 for Saturday, and $100 for admission to both days. Children ages 10 and younger get free admission to Maha Festival with a ticketed adult.

“GA prices will increase once the limited quantity of Tier 1 tickets sell out,” the Maha Festival news release states.

VIP tickets are also available for $130 for Friday, $160 for Saturday, and $240 for both days.

Parking is free.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Anyone who wants to volunteer to help with the festival will be granted day passes in exchange for a few hours of assisting with festival tasks like scanning tickets, monitoring Zero Waste Stations, and bartending.

Organizers have said previously that more than 800 volunteers will be needed as the festival approaches.

FESTIVAL INFO

The 15th annual festival will be at Stinson Park in Aksarben Village on Friday, July 28 from 4-11 p.m., and Saturday, July 29 from 2-11 p.m.

The festival features more than just music. Patrons will see visual art, comedy, and poetry performances. Local shops will also be set up, as well as the Maha Community Village which offers created activities hosted by nonprofits.

Last year the festival brought in more than 11,500 visitors; this year, organizers are anticipating more than 13,000 fans.

Maha claims it was one of the largest zero-waste events in the state of Nebraska, which they accomplished by diverting 4,754, pounds of waste from landfills with recycling and composting. They’re again aiming for 90% of all waste from this year’s festival to be recycled or composted.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

Big Thief: The indie-folk rock group from Brooklyn, N.Y., headlining on Saturday has been described as “raw, volatile, vulnerable, and intimate.” The band’s performances are “shaped by the very personal songwriting of singer-guitarist Adrianne Lenker.”

Turnstile: The hardcore punk-rock band from Baltimore, Md., headlining on Friday has been described as “a gritty, hard-hitting, and youth-driven hardcore punk unit with heart. ... Turnstile’s blend of vintage American hardcore and blistering, groove-laden metalcore is both sonically and ideologically sound.”

Alvvays: The dream pop-alternative-shoegaze band from Toronto will perform Friday. “(The group’s) combination of jangly indie pop with infectious, sugary melodies and melancholy noise rock earned the band a devoted following and led to them being one of the flagbearers of the ongoing popularity of the C86 sound.”

Peach Pit: The pop up-tempo surf rock band from Toronto is scheduled to perform Saturday. The Vancouver indie rockers emerged in the mid-2010s with “a sound that combined jangling, uptempo surf rock with melancholic lyrics.”

The Beths: This indie rock-alternative band from New Zealand is set to play Saturday. “The indie rock group combines energized guitar riffs, melodic hooks, and harmonized backing vocals in their impulsive, distinctly self-deprecating music.”

EKKSTACY: The post-punk indie-synth pop group from Vancouver plays Friday. The band merges “several depressive and doomy styles, exploring synth-pop, occasional trap rhythms, indie peppiness, and post-punk moodiness for a sound that can change from song to song.”

Terry Presume: This hip-hop rap R&B and soul act from Naples, Fla., is part of Saturday’s lineup. He blends funk, indie, pop, and rap for “a trail of joyful melodies and charismatic messages.”

Black Belt Eagle Scout: The indie rock-alt pop group from Portland, Ore., plays Saturday. The multi-instrumentalist “draws from Native American traditions currently on Omaha’s Saddle Creek Records.”

Say She She: This disco pop-R&B soul artist from Brooklyn, N.Y., is scheduled for Saturday. “The discodelic soul band out of New York and London will transport you with their dreamy harmonies, catchy hooks and up-tempo grooves.”

LOCAL BANDS

Icky Blossoms: The electro-punk synth pop group from right here in Omaha plays Friday — “reuniting for the first time in nearly a decade to play the Maha stage.” They released a self-titled album in 2012, following in 2015 with “Mask,” which “gained national recognition from outlets like Pitchfork and SPIN.”

BIB: This hardcore punk band from Omaha is among Friday’s performances. The band recently won an Omaha Entertainment Award for Outstanding Punk. “BIB’s noise-drenched punk style is turning heads. Their single ‘The Fool’ from their 2020 LP, ‘Delux,’ was praised in Stereogum for achieving a sound “so raw and nasty and drenched in reverb that it feels like a relic of a different time.”

M34N STR33T: The hip-hop rap act from Omaha is set to play Saturday. “Rap, hip hop, and jazz influences are as essential to their music as skateboarding, horror movies, late nights, and the social reckonings happening in our streets.”

Garst: The Omaha rock-punk-psychedelic band, also on Saturday’s lineup, is described as “River city rock-n-roll for the working man, by the working band.”

HAKIM: This hip-hop rap artist “from the Corn Coast” of Lincoln will play Friday.

Ebba Rose: The alternative-indie performer from Omaha will perform Saturday. “Erin Mitchell’s solo project turned high-energy full band, Ebba Rose blends indie pop rock and raw, blues-driven soul.”

NFM Silent Disco DJs: Angie Spence, Dawna Konkel, G3wizz, Ivan Alferez, Animale, MistaSoul, Ness, Tiago Rey, Shor-T, Grig, Houston Alexander, and JPEG.

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