Party 19 arrives in Gainesville with energy, music and lots of PBR

GAINESVILLE – The doors for the punk festival Fest 19 are open again and ticket sales open on Friday at 12 noon.

Last year, due to COVID-19 concerns, the event ran virtually year-round and has been postponed until this year, said Tony Weinbender, owner of the festival. He said he is more comfortable this year as vaccines are available and around 97% of this year’s participants are vaccinated and the rest are required to provide evidence of a COVID-19 test within the last three days.

It’s back:The Gainesville Punk Festival runs October 29-31

“I think our participants will take care of each other, much like it has always been in the punk rock scene,” he said. “We kind of see ourselves as family and we take care of each other, so I think the biggest first step is to get everyone vaccinated and it has helped a lot.”

The festival first opened in 2002 and has since grown from 60 bands to around 400 artists. Weinbender said this festival would have about 3,000 people across the city.

This year the festival takes place on three days until Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

This year it will be distributed to different venues in Gainesville for attendees to choose their experience. Venues include Bo Diddley Plaza, Heartwood Soundstage, Palomino, Knockin ‘Boots Saloon, Downtown Fats, High Dive, The Wooly, Mother’s Pub, Fox Lounge, The Hippodrome, Boca Fiesta, Loosey’s, and Vecinos.

Some bands in the line-up are Frank Turner, Gorilla Biscuits, The Menzingers and Good Riddance.

The queue to pick up tickets, guides, coasters, cuzies and shirts took up the entire sidewalk of the Depot Park on Friday afternoon.

Nikki McRae from Atlanta, Georgia and Maria Orovece from Brooklyn, New York gathered for the festival to celebrate the reopening. McRae has been at the festival for seven years and Orovece for four years, and they met at the festival and decided to travel together this year.

“It’s a lot about friends, seeing friends from afar with music in between,” said McRae. She said Facebook groups have also helped her keep in touch with many of the people she has met at past festivals.

Brooklyn Davis was flying down from Iowa and carrying her luggage up the steps when she picked up her ticket. She said she was confident with the protocols they put in for this year to request a vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.

“The fact that they are asking people to wear masks or get vaccinated is enormous,” said Davis.

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