Festival Rebrand: Now the ROGUE World Music Festival
Announcement: the Ashland World Music Festival is rebranded and expanded as the ROGUE World Music Festival!
The Rogue World Music Festival is a FREE, multi-day, multi-event, multi-venue, MULTI-CITY festival, produced in partnership with Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission and Medford Parks and Recreation Commission over Memorial Day weekend. This community offering features world-class international, national, regional, and local culture-bearing artists and educators sharing music, dance, visual arts and stories rooted in a diverse array of cultural experiences and identities. RWMF events will be held in Medford, Ashland, and Talent, OR.
“Our goal is to create a superb, FREE cultural public arts event that serves our local communities AND serves as an anchor tourist attraction due to the quality and unique nature of this experience, thereby benefiting our local economies and encouraging further cultural exchange.”
- Ana Byers, Rogue World Music Executive Director.
The expansion of the Rogue World Music Festival will shift the location of two key festival events - the Percussion Workshop and HeartBeat Stories, to Medford and Talent, respectively. The cornerstone event, a 6-hour concert series at Butler Bandshell in Ashland’s Lithia Park, will stay in Lithia Park. New events will be debuted as well, including a concert in Pear Blossom Park and multiple opportunities to connect with artists at various Musician Talk Backs.
In addition to new events and locations, the Rogue World Music Festival will be incorporating a new guest experience feature: beer gardens. RWM will be testing out the new policy passed by the City of Ashland that allows for alcohol in city parks for specially-permitted events. This means that Park Performances attendees can now grab a pint to enjoy with the delicious food provided by local food trucks. Pear Blossom Park Concert attendees can also expect a beer garden as part of their event experience.
“In my experience I have not seen a collaboration on a single event between other parks and recreation departments. Tax-funded agencies have an obligation to use resources for the benefit of their own communities. With RWM leading efforts to expand and coordinate this festival throughout the Rogue Valley, each parks and recreation agency involved is keeping resources directed at their own community while benefiting from exposure in events occurring in other communities. This also addresses our Commission’s goal to support opportunities for community building with events in our parks.”
- Lonny Flora, Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission Recreation Manager.
Rogue World Music is anticipating record turnout for the 2024 RWMF. The 2023 festival drew over 5,000 attendees over the course of the holiday weekend, doubling the attendance of the 2022 events. This year, attendance is projected to surpass 8,000. Expected growth is partially attributed to the caliber of artists performing at the event and partially to the collaboration between RWM, participating Parks Commissions and local Travel direct marketing offices, like Travel Ashland.
“As Travel Ashland's works to continue diversifying tourism, part of that focus is fostering a fertile ground for more events in Ashland throughout the year. Rogue World Music Festival has been a solid draw for visitors that is a positive anchor to keep growing from. As they expand up into the valley, we are delighted that growth can be felt regionally and the collaboration can flourish as a benefit to all.”
-Katharine Cato, Travel Ashland.
All key 2024 Rogue World Music Festival dates, times, and venues are set, but a few new events are waiting for finalized details. The full 2024 RWMF artist line up will be released in early March. Visit www.rogueworldmusic.org/festival for the full event schedule, artist line up, and more. Follow Rogue World Music (the organization) and/or the Rogue World Music Festival on social media for updates in real time.
Rogue World Music: www.facebook.com/RogueWorldMusic & www.instagram.com/rogueworldmusic/
Rogue World Music Festival: www.facebook.com/rogueworldmusicfestival & www.instagram.com/rogueworldmusicfestival/
2024 Rogue World Music Festival Schedule to Date:
Friday, May 24, 2024
Percussion Workshop. 4-5:30 pm. Pear Blossom Park. Medford, OR.
Pear Blossom Park Concert. 6 pm. Pear Blossom Park. Medford, OR.
Saturday, May 25, 2024
Musician Talk Back. 3 - 4:30 pm. Venue TBA. Talent, OR.
HeartBeat Stories: storytelling & music of ‘home.’ 5-7 pm. Library Commons Park. Talent, OR.
Sunday, May 26, 2024
Park Performances. 12 - 6 pm. Lithia Park Butler Bandshell. Ashland, OR.
Monday, May 27, 2024
Musician Talk Back(s). Time & Venue TBA. Ashland, OR.
Rogue World Music is an award-winning 501(c)(3) Oregon-based arts nonprofit organization, with a mission to build community and cultural connections through world music experiences. They produce the annual Rogue World Music Festival; support other local cultural community events such as Talent, OR’s Dia de la Independencia celebration and Medford’s Juneteenth festivities; and teach a world-music education program for the K-3rd grade students of the Phoenix-Talent school district. Visit Rogue World Music at one of our outreach Gather ‘Round events in 2024 to connect. All program and event info can be found at www.rogueworldmusic.org.