Minor Moon from Chicago play at the 2022 New New Festival. Photo: Jessica Waffles
You don’t have to dig too deeply to discern New New Festival’s intentions or its scope — the answer is right there in the title.
For its second annual staging, New New Festival is building upon its inaugural year — which encompassed more than 30 acts performing across eight shows at six different venues for a total of 1,500 attendees — with even more music, more venues and (hopefully) more audience members.
The multi-city showcase kicks off Friday and continues through March 20, mirroring South by Southwest’s similar schedule (Monday through March 19) in Austin.
New New Festival is, per its press materials, “focused on supporting emerging acts that we feel are making waves and growing.” That focus also allows for SXSW overflow, as well as a chance for local artists to hop on a festival bill. (All acts are paid, per New New Festival’s press materials.)
As well as a chance for audiences to indulge in new music discovery, the festival also has a trio of “music industry events” scheduled for March 12, March 15 and March 20, designed to offer artists the chance to meet and network with those in the business.
New New Festival is also unique among North Texas festivals for its distinctly international flavor: Bands hailing from Australia, the United Kingdom, Colombia, Panama and Japan, to name just a few, will be among the 40 acts spread across more than 15 shows at eight different venues.
National and international acts confirmed for the 2023 edition of New New Festival include Strawberry Guy, Manwolves, Plastic Picnic, Ava Maybee, Vox Rea, Youth Sector, Crumbsnatchers, and Dead Billionaires. Local artists confirmed to appear include Ken LaFlaire, Daniel Zapata, Alyssa Gillen, Kaatii, Sam Cormier and the Kazunori Tanaka Quartet.
The participating venues are an eclectic mix, much like descending into Austin for SXSW showcases, a mixture of restaurants, breweries and dedicated music sites: Jaxon Beer Garden, Four Corners Brewing Company, Sons of Hermann Hall and Opening Bell Coffee are just some of the participants in the 2023 New New Festival.
The full schedule can be viewed here, and it’s worth noting there are a range of admission prices to the shows under the New New Festival umbrella, so be sure to check the cost of tickets prior to heading out.
2023 New New Festival at various venues, Carrollton, Dallas, Denton and Arlington. 8 p.m. Saturday. Admission cost varies by performance.
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter (@prestonjones). Our work is made possible by our generous, music-loving members. If you like how we lift up local music, consider becoming a KXT sustaining member right here.
