By Kate Bartlett
Borderland Music and Arts Festival is celebrating its 5th year this weekend, September 15-17 at scenic Knox Farm State Park in East Aurora, NY. This three-day music and cultural festival celebrates the rich history and renaissance of the region in one of the most historic and picturesque parks in the area. This year’s line-up includes moe., Goose, Trey Anastasio with Classic TAB, along with many others.
Jennifer Brazill is owner and founder of Borderland Music + Arts Festival. She is also the owner of Rail Rider Jamboree which she started at Holiday Valley in 2021. Jennifer got her start working in the music industry with the Dave Matthews Band over 20 years ago, and has been working in the industry since (visit https://www.jenniferbrazill.com for more information).
Jennifer started the Borderland festival 6 years ago in 2018 after moving back to her hometown of East Aurora from the West Coast. “The festival is a two-day, grassroots, boutique music and arts festival cultivated around community and sustainability. We take over 15 acres of beautiful space at Knox Farm State Park where we build 3 stages, an artisan craft village, kids’ area, food court, bars and beyond. We really create a beautiful space that is family friendly, yet feels like you have walked into a Woodstock vibe, of 2022.”
Borderland features a mix of national, regional and local artists. Past festivals have highlighted many Grammy Award winning artists including legendary Mavis Staples, John Oates from Hall and Oates, Warren Haynes and Gov’t Mule, 7-time Grammy winner Jason Isbell. This year’s festival features a well-rounded out lineup with something for everyone. Headliners include the lead singer from Phish, Trey Anastasio with Classic TAB, the well-known band Goose, who just sold out 12,000 seats at SPAC, and Buffalo legendary band moe.
Various other bands over the three day festival include Sammy Ray & The Friends, the upbeat female-led band with Brass Band accompaniment, Dawes, known for their popular Americana style, and the 502s, playing Lumineers-like pop style sounds. Visit https://borderlandfestival.com/lineup for full line-up and schedule of events.
This is the first year Borderland will be a three-day festival. “We decided to spread the event over the course of the entire weekend for a variety of reasons. First, is allows us to celebrate The Bills home game on Sunday together. It also gave us the opportunity have two late nights, Friday and Saturday, and a more laid-back festival on Sunday, ending a bit earlier.” Guests still have the option for a one-day pass for three-day event ticket, with kids 10 and under free with an adult ticket.
The venue of Knox Farm is a beautiful 633-acre State Park with a rich history. “Knox Farm is a microcosm of our entire region with its unique habitat variety including grasslands, hayfields, pastures, woodlands, ponds and wetlands.” The festival takes advantage of the expansive grounds, utilizing many of its acres. Local craft vendors set up their shops in the horse stables in the over 100-year old barn, yoga takes place Saturday and Sunday mornings at 9am outside the Knox Mansion, and guests are free to explore the trails and grounds at their leisure.
This year also marks the first designated mocktail area. “We’ve partnered with Trae Anastasio’s non-profit organization “Divided Sky” which supports sober living to create this space. It’s such a great opportunity to support a great cause and raise awareness, while enjoying a variety of delicious mocktails.”
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. “We take the green initiative very seriously and we always try to do one step better than before. All food scraps from the festival are sent to Farmer’s Pirate to be composted and offer free water stations for water refills (instead of disposable plastic bottles) and sell stainless steel cups with a $1 off beer incentives to try and limit single use waste. We do it because it’s the right thing to do, but we also hope to spread the message that we need to tread lightly and leave no trace.”
This year, the United Nations has set out 17 goals for Sustainable Development. The festival will have non-profit organization representing many of these sustainable development goals, including no poverty, zero hunger, gender equality, affordable and clean energy and more. “Sustainability efforts go beyond eco-friendly initiatives. We hope to educate and model that everyone can make changes to do better. Small changes can make a big difference.”
Jennifer’s favorite thing about the festival is how it’s grown and evolved over the years. “I’m so proud of what Borderland has become over its 5 years. I’m thankful for the community support and how the region has embraced the festival.”
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.