Big names coming to Tucson Dusk Music Festival this weekend

Dusk’s 10th annual two-day festival, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 13-14, will feature more than 40 acts “for people whose Spotify makes no sense,” in the words of Relentless Beats, which curates the multi-genre national acts.

This weekend’s headliners include rappers BigXthaPlug and Fetty Wap, the indie electro-pop duo Phantogram and electro-pop producer Rad Cat.

The festival is also hosting more experiences outside of the three main stages, from vendors selling everything from food to fashion, to silent disco and retro arcade games and the 21-and-older Dusk Cannabis Garden that explores cannabis culture, art and products.

The festival also leveled up its arts installations with “TucsonARTS,” an ambitious collaboration with the University of Arizona School of Art, Pima Community College Art Department and Art State Arizona that will transform downtown into “a living canvas that celebrates the creativity and culture of the Southwest,” according to organizers.

The project includes commissioning 20 artists to create immersive art installations, interactive experiences and projection mapping throughout the festival area.

“You're going to see a little more integration into downtown,” said Dusk co-founder John Rallis, citing as an example plans by sponsor HSL Properties to take over the courthouse with “some cool activation.”

“We really wanted to see if we could push it to the next level and get over that 10,000 mark and really propel the festival,” he said.

Since Rallis and cofounder Page Repp started the festival at Rillito Park in 2016, attendance has grown from a few thousand a day to over 7,000 in recent years.

Repp said they are flirting with the 10,000 mark this year, with 25-35% of ticket sales coming from around the region and country.

”We hope to become kind of a regional draw and to interest people from a little further away,” he said.

Repp said that during a trip to Washington, D.C., a few years ago, he was stopped by someone who recognized his Dusk ballcap.

“You’ve been to Dusk?” the guy asked him.

“It's really cool to see that and to talk to people from other areas that have heard of us,” he said. “I do think we're on the map. I feel like we're firing on all cylinders, and I think we're in a … better spot now than we've ever been.”

Relentless Beats, which has partnered with Dusk since 2019, has been the game-changer, said Repp. The Southwest’s premier EDM promoter and concert producer has “a much deeper connection … so they are able to really bring a lot to bear on the talent buying side and they're able to bring a lot on the logistics side.”

Repp still books most of the non-EDM artists as well as local bands, including overseeing the annual Dusk Battle of the Bands that gives the winning band a chance to perform on a main stage. Kaity Cantskate took first place, and the girl group DOLC3 was runner-up at the finals held Oct. 23 at 191 Toole.

Highlights of the lineup

The first time Page Repp saw Texas rapper BigXthaPlug was in Nashville at the Country Music Association summertime festival.

Country singer Bailey Zimmerman brought the country-crossover rapper on stage to sing with him, “and I was blown away by how cool of a song it was,” Repp said.

It took Repp two years to book BigX for Dusk, “but we got him,” he said.

Repp said he is also excited to see the return of Phantogram, who were on the lineup in 2018, and singer-songwriter/violinist Sudan Archives (aka Brittney Parks), who Repp saw play La Rosa in January.

“One of the major, very important things to Page and I is the diversity of the lineup,” Rallis said. “But we take that one step further, and you can go back and look at the history of all of our festivals and what you'll see is a lot of women on the lineup.”

In addition to Sudan Archives, this year’s female artists include underground EDM DJ Jackie Hollander from San Francisco and the German electronica singer-songwriter-DJ Horsegiirl (aka Stella Stallion), who performs with a chestnut-colored horse mask.

“That's an interesting one,” Rallis said of Horsegiirl. “They were routed that weekend and they kind of approached us about playing. That's one of the nice things. The first few years you're really kind of chasing these artists because … a lot of these festivals come and go so the agents are just like, meh. But I think once you get to a 10-year mark, you start getting them to approach you a little bit.”

Local female artists include DJs TKNO Gangsta (Celina Fierro), adhDJ9 (Jeaninne Kaufer), JOCY (Jocelyn Pliego) and Sophia Rankin & the Sound. There’s also the alt-rock twin sister duo Good Boy Daisy (Hallie and Dylinn Mayes) from Scottsdale.

Made in Tucson

Twenty-six local artists will appear on the Discovery Stage set aside for emerging Tucson and regional talent, including Swigfoot, which describes itself as a “Skajacent Punkish explosion of endless energy, blaring horns and catchy melodies”; surf-punk power trio The Hawthorne Experience; indie pop band Cheers to the Outside; prog-rock trio Insound; the experimental bass artist Soaplab (Ryan Shainen); and country singer Drew Cooper. DJs include Kade Findley, PHAZIX and the Bodykast duo of Colton McKechnie and Joseph Hoskins.

Experience this and that

• TucsonARTS: Check out larger-than-life sculptures, digital art and more created by local artists and collectives.

• TucsonFEASTS: Food vendors on site include El Charro, Dante’s, Culinary Dropout, Island Noodles and Fresco Pizzeria.

• TucsonSHOPS: Local First Arizona and Downtown Tucson Partnership are collaborating to showcase the handcrafted goods and original artwork of local brands, artists, makers and artisans. 

• JARS Retro Arcade: Slip in between sets and check out some classic arcade games.

• Tucson Federal Credit Union Discovery Zone: This is where you can catch emerging local and regional artists, from rising DJs to explosive bands.

• Dusk Silent Disco: One of the weekend’s most vibrant and popular interactive experiences where you can dance, relax or just chill with disco music piped into your headset.

• Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Sports Lounge: Hey, we’re not only a big music town; we’re a sports town, and this is where you can catch the Wildcats in action on the court and on the field.

• Dusk Canopy Cocktail Lounge: Grab a craft cocktail beneath a canopy of trees in the heart of the festival grounds where “premium spirits, immersive lighting and elevated lounge environments” merge.

• Dusk Portal Stage, Presented by GeekBAR: Dusk’s version of a speakeasy is one of the festival’s best-kept secrets. Pass it on.

• Dusk Cannabis Garden: You have to be 21 or older to enter this curated cannabis destination where you can find streetwear, live art, cannabis culture and elevated views of the Alameda Main Stage.