By Kate Bartlett
This September 12-14 marks the 7th annual Borderland Music + Arts Festival in East Aurora, NY. This 3-day celebration of music, culture and community is set against the stunning backdrop of Knox Farm State Park bringing together music lovers of all ages and diverse genres.
Jennifer Brazill founded the festival in 2018 after working several festivals out west, she was inspired to start one in her hometown of East Aurora upon moving back. The first Borderland was held 7 years ago as a two-day, grassroots boutique music and arts festival cultivating community and sustainability. While the festival has grown over the past 7 years, it has maintained these core values. The festival has been held at Knox Farm State Park since its inception, taking over 15 acres of beautiful space with 3 stages, an artisan craft village, kids’ area, food court, bars and more.
Aurora since its inception seven years ago, taking over 15
acres of beautiful space with 3 stages, an artisan craft village,
kids’ area, food court, bars and more. It is a music and
arts festival cultivating community and sustainability.
This year, the festival is prepared for a larger crowd than past years, as the headlining performers are more mainstream and have a large following. “We’ve expanded the space and spread everything out in order to accommodate more people,” explains Jennifer. “We’re bringing in more food vendors, more bars, and creating more space in general in order to best accommodate everyone. Our goal is to still provide the best possible fan experience while making way for new fans to discover the festival”. The venue will also hold more shade structures and add one additional small stage.
Borderland historically features a mix of national, regional and local artists. Nationally known bands include indie-rock legends Vampire Weekend, bringing their American rock charm and Billboard number-one hits. The fast-rising, heartland anthem-writing Mt. Joy, funk-soul jammers Kruangbin and Americana heart-pounders Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats round out the headlining acts.
The festival also welcomes The Teskey Brothers, Band of Horses and the energetic bluegrass act Trampled by Turtles to East Aurora, New York’s late-summer festival for the first time. The Wailers and The 502s return to Borderland for their second stint alongside national-touring acts Joy Oladokun, The Heavy Heavy, Robert Randolph, Yoke Lore, Neighbor, Johnny Mullenax, Driftwood and up-and-coming string band Mountain Grass Unit. The Big Easy in Buffalo partners up with Borderland Festival once again to bring the New Orleans soul to East Aurora with The Soul Rebels, an eight-piece brass ensemble.
Many more local acts will take the stage throughout the three-days, with full schedule and sound bites available on the event website.
The festival features a large vendor market in and around the horse barn with unique local and regional finds including clothing, candles, home wares, cowboy boots, botanical arts, jewelry, porcelain, herbals, books and more. “It’s an eclectic variety in a unique location inside the stalls at the 100 year of horse stables,” describes Jennifer. “It’s fun to browse and shop, supporting local artisans and small business.”
Food vendors include a diverse array of culinary creations both locally sourced and regionally acclaimed. Beer, wine and craft beverages will be available, as well as an expanded mocktail/sober section. As mentioned, the footprint of the festival has expanded to accommodate a larger crowd, but will continue to offer various activities including ax throwing, paintball and a designated kids’ area with face painting, alpacas and band camp as in previous years. Free Yoga will be offered by East Aurora Yoga Studio The Practice on both Saturday and Sunday at 9am on the lawn in front of the Knox Park Mansion.
As always, Borderland has a heavy focus on sustainability and will be a plastic free site. Not only are there separate receptacles for compost and recycling, but the Borderland green team sorts the trash to find any food scraps that could be composted, or anything that can be recycled. All food scraps from the festival are sent to Farmer’s Pirate to be composted and the festival features several free water stations. Several vendor areas will be battery operated rather than run on diesel generators, and ridesharing and carpooling is encouraged. “Every year we try to include more in our sustainability effort and to do better. We do it because it’s the right thing to do, but we also hope to spread the message and encourage others, that we need to respect the park, tread lightly and leave no trace.”
While many things make Borderland unique, the venue is perhaps the most noteworthy, setting Borderland apart from any other festival. “I’ve had so many artists and festival goers comment on the venue, and how incredible this place is, and I 100% agree. The open grasslands, hayfields and pastures with the backdrop of a 100-year-old horse barn; it’s just incredible, there’s nothing quite like it.”
Another thing that sets Borderland apart is the energy of the crowd. “We’re proud to have cultivated a family-friendly vibe at Borderland. People attend with a happy mindset and tend to be welcoming and kind to each other. The atmosphere is generally kind and respectful, and we’re hopeful to keep that going.”
Borderland is proud to partner with Kissing Bridge Ski Resort to provide camping packages as a lodging option for the 3-day festival. Free shuttles between Kissing Bridge and Borderland are available, and late-night bands from 11pm-1am at Kissing Bridge keep the vibes strong after hours.
Jennifer is anticipating this year to sell out soon, and encourages those interested to purchase tickets soon. “Fans can expect the same vibe and flow as always, but be prepared for a larger crowd. We encourage ride sharing, biking or walking, if possible, to help with traffic and sustainability measures.”
Tickets and full schedule are available online https://borderlandfestival.com/ with a variety of options available including 3-day tickets, single-day, VIP Passes, and RV/Camping options. Explore and sample music from festival artists on their website and follow on social media for updates @borderlandfestival.