It’s been a big year for new festivals in the ‘burbs of North Texas. The rockin’ Suburbia Music Festival made Plano cool again in May, and Chipotle’s Cultivate Festival brought a hip party to Irving in October. So would you believe that Parker, Texas, could be the “it” spot for yet another new festival this year?
Organizers from popular website thechive.com are hosting Dallas’ first Chive Fest on Saturday at Southfork Ranch, home to the fictional Ewing family on the evening soap opera Dallas. The venue is a considerable drive from downtown Dallas, acknowledges Brandon Barrett, director of partnerships for Chive Live, but he says he didn’t find many downtown options available.
And: It’s the site of Dallas! These out-of-towners are sure it could be a hit.
Although Chive Fest celebrates the Internet site’s loyal “Chivers,” the festival was created to get current and future fans of the brand out from behind their computers. Chive Fest is essentially a music fest, and Dallas’ lineup is a little country, a little rock ‘n’ roll with country singer Jake Owen and rockers Julian Casablancas + The Voidz, which is fronted by the lead singer of the Strokes. Jam band John Butler Trio and indie group Manchester Orchestra round out a day of music that organizers hope is a grassroots version of Austin City Limits or Lollapalooza situated right in Parker, Texas.
They hope to pack nearly 10,000 people onto festival grounds. Some will be Chivers — like headliner Owen — and others will be new to the Keep Calm and Chive On brand. The idea is to prove The Chive is “not just an online setting,” Barrett says. “We’re also offline.”
As proof, The Chive has spawned meet-up groups that raise money for charity and share interests. About 10,000 Chivers populate D-FW, and the site has spawned 200 “Chive chapters” all over the world, with three big ones in North Texas. What once was an entertainment site perfect for passing time on a slow workday has blossomed into a massive Internet forum that compels people to get out of the house.
Barrett and his crew have launched Chive Fests in Chicago, Seattle and Denver this year and picked Dallas as the final destination.
Beyond the music, which will play on two stages, Chive Fest will have an area where people can play life-sized games of Operation, Connect Four and Jenga.
And there’ll be mechanical bulls, says Dave Welch, director of Chive Nation, because this is Texas, after all.
“It’s really about having a good time and having a few beers with your friends,” Barrett says. You might just snag a trendy Keep Calm and Chive On tee while you’re out there.
Plan your life
Nov. 1 at Southfork Ranch, 3700 Hogge Drive, Parker. Doors open at 1 p.m. Tickets cost $75.08 to $268.13. thechive.frontgatetickets.com.
On Twitter: @sblaskovich
