Freak Fest brings over 30 local bands to venues across Ypsi

The third annual Ypsi Freak Fest will offer “three days of music and fun for the freaks,” according to event organizer Shawn Gates. The festival will feature a lineup of over 30 musical artists primarily from southeast Michigan, as well as vending by local artists and business owners, from Oct. 3-5. Events will take place at venues across Ypsi, including Gates’ music and book store Wyrd Byrd, Riverside Park, Ziggy’s, and Hyperion Coffee Co. 

Gates has been working alongside Keelan Ferraiuolo of Ziggy’s and Austin Donnelly of Wee Wah Ypsi to bring Freak Fest to life since its first iteration in 2023. The festival has since grown from one night to three, with its lineup of both musicians and artists increasing. While most of this year’s performers hail from Ypsi, Ann Arbor, Detroit, and other southeast Michigan locales, the festival will also feature Tijuana, Mexico-based hardcore “powerviolence” punk band Hong Kong F— You. In addition to hearing a variety of local punk, metal and other alternative bands, Gates says attendees will be able to move between locations, shop vendors, and “explore downtown Ypsi in between.”

Gates emphasizes that most festival events are free, although there will be a cover charge for performances at Ziggy’s on Friday and Saturday evenings. A visit from the Detroit Party Marching Band on Saturday will conclude the day’s performances at Riverside Park. The band will lead attendees from the park to Ziggy’s, where music will continue into the night. 

“The idea was to showcase some of the amazing musicians in the area,” Gates explains. “Each year has been somewhat fluid but overall we have been getting bigger and better.”

Gates says the festival is designed so people can spend the whole day wandering from one event to another without ever running out of things to do. The goal of Freak Fest, he says, is to create an immersive weekend that feels accessible to both attendees and performers, and highlights the variety of alternative art throughout the community.

“I’m very excited to see as much live music as possible over the weekend,” Gates says. “People should come support all of these vendors and musicians.”

Ypsi Freak Fest is supported by First Fridays Ypsilanti and the Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority. For more information and a full schedule of performances, visit the event’s Facebook page. 

“Bring a blanket or a chair to Riverside Park, catch an afternoon show at Hyperion, and grab a drink and sit outside,” Gates says. “Catch some great live music and just enjoy the day.”