From one angle, JAMBALOO is nearly finished.
From another angle, JAMBALOO is just getting started.
On May 23, the inaugural JAMBALOO will finally wind down: A headlining performance from Kolton Moore & the Clever Few at Tulips in Fort Worth, with support from Levi Ray and Garrett Owen, will take place, originally postponed in early February because of weather.
With that gig in the books, the event’s co-creators, long-time North Texas booking agency Spune Productions and the law firm Mullen & Mullen, can take stock of this pathbreaking endeavor’s impact.
The week-long concert series hosted 27 shows in four venues, showcasing 100 artists. Each concert was free. The series boosted sales at the venues that participated by 150%.
“Shane [Mullen] and I are beyond pleased with how the event was conducted,” said Joseph Morrison of Mullen & Mullen. “All of that credit goes to Spune, based on that number of shows in that time period — no major hiccups whatsoever. I think that’s incredibly impressive, in and of itself. … [We’re] incredibly pleased with the venues doing better and incredibly pleased with the impact it had on the local economy.”
JAMBALOO also boosted venue attendance by an eye-popping 280% over the prior year. A total of 5,750 music fans spread across four venues in three cities and generated an estimated $3.5 million economic impact for the DFW area. (Organizers joked the only real problem was running out of JAMBALOO-branded hoodies, which proved to be more popular than they anticipated.)
“I was super pleased with the overall brand in the way it was received,” said Corey Pond, Spune’s general manager, in a recent conversation. “If you host free concerts, people are going to come and have a good time, and they did. We’re all pretty excited to do it again.”
Indeed, JAMBALOO has already staked out its 2026 dates: Feb. 7-14. And the series will expand beyond the four venues featured in 2025.
Morrison and Pond demurred on specifics beyond saying additional details would be shared this summer. But they did say that the concerts will continue to be live-streamed, via WFAA+.
“I would expect [in 2026] there would be six to 10 venues, with the goal of that number growing year-to-year,” Pond said. “Obviously, Spune will continue to be a big part of it, but this would be a more inclusive approach that would include non-Spune people. The plan is [also] to have some bigger headliners.”
Pond and Morrison both emphasize the core mission of JAMBALOO will not shift, no matter the scale and scope of the event: “The focus on the venues will not go away, but it will not be the exclusive focus,” Pond said.
The 2026 edition of JAMBALOO will prioritize a focus on artists, Pond said. The event will also evolve to be a presence throughout the calendar year, rather than a one-and-done annual happening each February.
“The first few shows, I was terrified that we were gonna do this and there’s gonna be, like, 20 people show up,” Pond said. “In that sense, that was a pleasant surprise, eliminating the unknown of how people would react to it.
“I made it a point to talk to people that were there, and universally, it was all super positive. And, you know, this is a business where everything’s not always positive, right? That was awesome — it was pretty much universally accepted and embraced.”
Kolton Moore & the Clever Few at Tulips, Fort Worth. 8 p.m. May 23. Admission is free, but RSVP is required (attendees with previously issued tickets do not need to RSVP again).
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky (@prestonjones.bsky.social).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.
