New music festival coming to Forest Park this summer

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - Some big artists are coming to St. Louis for a new two-day music festival.

“Evolution Festival” will be held in Forest Park on August 26-27. The line-up was announced Monday and includes:

The Black Keys
The Black Crowes
Brandi Carlile
Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals
See the full lineup here

Longtime St. Louis music producers Steve Schankman and Joe Litvag are behind the festival, saying it’s been a goal to bring back a premier music festival to St. Louis ever since Loufest folded in 2018.

“We don’t want to try to give the impression that we’re trying to replace that festival. It was a great festival for what it was, when it happened, but now it’s time for something else,” said Litvag, who has produced music festivals around the country.

The two-day festival set on Langenberg Field in Forest Park is expected to bring in around 20,000 fans each day with a projected economic impact of up to $10 million for the St. Louis region.

The producers of Evolution Festival hope the genre-spanning lineup, as well as the focus on St. Louis BBQ and bourbon, will attract not just locals but bring in people from out of town.

“We want to continue to help put St. Louis on the map for people from out of town who want to come here,” said Litvag.

Tickets will go on sale Friday, February 17, at 10 a.m. A weekend general admission ticket is listed at $99.50 before additional fees. That gets you access to both music stages for Saturday and Sunday. There are additional options for VIP tickets that range from $200-$1,000 each.

The Evolution Festival website says the tickets are on a tiered pricing system to encourage people to buy tickets early. Once a certain amount of tickets are sold, the price will go up.

In addition to music, the festival will feature VIP barbeque and bourbon experiences.