Why MR Fest is the Best

By Austin Cowan
Assistant Web Content Manager

If you have not planned on going to MR Fest this year then listen up, because I am about to let you know what you’re going to miss out on.  Being a music festival, MR Fest is a series of concerts taking place in San Marcos. The bands who perform here provide some of the highest quality music in south-central Texas. The venues housing MR Fest are some of the most authentic places in San Marcos. Concert attendees will love the atmosphere of the venues while listening to great music. When attending Mr. Fest this year, do not be short sighted and think of the festival as a smaller version of South by Southwest in Austin. This festival is one of a kind because MR Fest represents San Marcos area music.

The Bands

This year at MR Fest, there will be many genres of music: rock, electronica, rap, shoegaze, indie folk, psych, garage rock and more. Performances will be taking place from Friday through Saturday night, April 28th and 29th.

The Venues

There are going to be many venues housing MR Fest this year, which are all located either on or near the San Marcos Downtown Square. Locations for concerts are Stonewall Warehouse, Dahlia Woods Gallery, Kiva, The Hitch, Valentino’s, Aqua Brew, Buzzmill, The Courthouse Lawn and The Marc.

The Plan

When attending these performances, the first place you will find yourself is at Stonewall Warehouse. Stonewall is known for its live bands and will have MR Fest concerts both Friday and Saturday night. Saturday is the most eventful day for MR Fest with concerts from 1 p.m. till midnight. Multiple genres of music will be played here, so people that are into many types of music will feel at home. I recommend sitting at the bar here since Stonewall gets pretty packed; the best way to get drinks quickly is at the bar. An added benefit is that the bar is near the stage where the musicians will be.

The following venues will only be used Saturday:

Dahlia Woods Gallery is an art gallery where electronica music will be played. If electronic music is what you are into, then this is the MR Fest venue to go to. This little gallery has a cute atmosphere and is right off the Square. There are some pretty good food places next to it as well, such as Erbert and Gerbert’s.

The location housing the most bands is Kiva. The karaoke section will have rap artists while the main area will have psych music. Kiva will be one of the most packed places at MR Fest simply because of the multitude of artists performing. Kiva is a large venue which serves up lots of drinks quickly. For college groups attending MR Fest, this will be a good spot to stop.

One unique venue at MR Fest will be The Hitch. This trailer park has multiple food trucks serving a wide diversity of food. This MR Fest event will be a little calmer than others because concert attendees will be listening to indie folk music here. MR Fest events will not be taking place here past 7 p.m., so stop here before heading off to other locations.

Now if you are a pizza fanatic like me, then you will want to go to Valentino’s on Saturday while garage rock music is played. This venue is always bustling with activity, so be careful to not spill your beer in the crowd. When coming here with a group, try saving some money by purchasing a pitcher if multiple people wish to drink some alcohol. Heads up, the restroom gets the job done, but it’s small. Garage music is fun so be prepared for some head banging.

Aqua Brew is a relatively new bar to San Marcos but is already making appearances at MR Fest. Shoegaze music emerged in England during the late ’80s and features blistering loud and dreamily reverberated feedback. Aqua Brew is easily one of the go-to places in town for food and drinks, so why not come here for some great music? KTSW will be here, so hopefully you can take a gaze at us while we all listen to the shoegaze music being played here.

Most of the venues for MR Fest will be indoors, but anybody that likes to be outside can go to Buzzmill. Buzzmill is located just of the Square at the corner of Guadalupe and Martin Luther King Drive. Bands here will include Americana, folk and alumni artists. There will be multiple bands playing here throughout the duration of the day and night so get comfortable eating a stack of pancakes or two because once people make it to Buzzmill, they will be buzzing around here for a while.

Now there is one event at MR Fest which is family friendly. There are a few bands who will be playing on the courthouse lawn in the middle of the Square, so people of all ages can enjoy MR Fest. KTSW tries to serve the people of San Marcos, so any children in the

area will be able to get in touch with San Marcos area music here. Multiples genres of music will be played here, like at Stonewall Warehouse, so be prepared for a little diversity when attending this event. All the bands are great though, so enjoy!

Last but definitely not least is The Marc. The Marc will be where our headliners will perform. The Marc has the largest stage, so be prepared to party. Multiple genres of music will be played here, but they are all great and well-established artists. The Marc is a great place to buy lots of drinks, so come thirsty and ready to spend money.

All MR Fest events have a great chance of filling up quickly, so be ready to arrive on time in order to reserve your spot.

MR Fest is the best festival because of the diversity and quality of the concerts it possesses. There will be dozens of bands at each MR Fest location entertaining crowds of people. The Downtown San Marcos Square will be a booming place during this time, so save your spot by showing up on time. See you at MR Fest!

Featured image by Madison Tyson

A special thank you to MR Fest sponsors: Buzzmill, Main Street, Texas Music Water, Colloquium, Roper and Mehler, University Bookstore and Brandt.