WTJU & IX Art Park continue Freefall series with free celebrations for our community

In honor of the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, the IX Art Park and WTJU proudly present LoveFest 2019: Free Love. Part of the fifth annual FreeFall Music & Art Festival, this family-friendly, free concert celebrates the gift of volunteers, free programs and social services that make living in Charlottesville more equitable for all.

An all-star line-up of 10 live bands will emulate the ‘69 music of the iconic Woodstock festival, while a “Free Store” and “Trust Cafe” make this a transformative day creating a collaborative, creative community based on trust, gratitude and love. Onsite food trucks will include Mouth Wide Open and 106 Street Food.

“We had a dream five years ago to create a space for creative community,” said co-founder and Wizard of IX Brian Wimer. “Now we wake up every day to something unexpected and wonderful happening… It’s proof that everything is possible.”

Doors open at noon and the concert line-up begins at 1:30 p.m. with Bhakti Boyz, a local trio blending modern technology and traditional instruments to make lighthearted, beat-driven music.

“Bhakti Boyz are very much inspired and influenced by Yogaville and the teachings of Satchidanada and we are looking to open our set with a traditional chant,” band member Gabe Gavin said.

Gavin is also part of Positive Collective, a local group performing reggae, ska and world music, which will take the stage at 2 p.m.

“Both Positive Collective and Bhakti Boyz are bringing our forms of devotional music and love is at the heart of that devotion,” Gavin said. “Love is about co-creating and existing in a vibration that includes openness, respect, nonviolence, care, acceptance and listening to and honoring each other. We seek to embody and emanate those vibrations through our music.”

LoveFest 2019’s live music line-up also includes Mojo Pie, an acoustic duo featuring Frank Bechter and Charlottesville music scene mainstay Susan Munson; Beleza, a Brazilian and Latin jazz, samba, bossa nova and soul duo with Humberto Oliveira Sales and Madeline Holly Sales; The Judy Chops, a Shenandoah Valley band fusing modern and vintage Americana; Chamomile and Whiskey, performing an eclectic blend of raucous roots and mountain funk; The Falsies, a recently reunited group serving up their absurdist and theatrical take on punk; and Black Masala, a brassy world music outfit based in Washington DC.

This is the second LoveFest the IX Art Park has hosted. The original LoveFest was held in 2017 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Monterey Pop and the Summer of Love.

LoveFest is made possible by generous grants from the Bob Hughes Team & Nest Realty, Posner Wealth Management, Crutchfield, Edgecomb’s, Bold Rock Cider, Three Notch’d Brewery, White Hall Vineyards, Vitae Spirits, WTJU, Cavalier Daily, Bama Works, the City of Charlottesville, and the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau.

For more information, contact the IX Art Park at 434.207.2355.