The June Lake Jam Fest takes place Sept. 8-10 at Gull Lake Park in June Lake, California.
The eighth-annual June Lake Jam fest takes place Sept. 8-10 at Gull Lake Park in June Lake, California. The festival is the annual fundraising event for the June Lake Loop Performing Arts Association (JLLOOPPAA) and this year is dubbed the “Flying High Edition.”
The music festival returns after the COVID pandemic caused the festival to go “virtual” in 2020 and forcing the festival’s cancellation in 2021. Jam Fest 7 in 2022 saw attendance and fundraising numbers rise dramatically. According to Janet Hunt, coordinator of the festival, the theme “Flying High Edition” speaks to the success of the music festival she founded with her husband, Bill Hunt.
“Jam Fest, which began as a small, humble anniversary party for Bill and I, has truly taken on a life of its own,” Hunt said in a press release. “Each year the festival’s audience grows by leaps and bounds. The number of vendors, volunteers and sponsors applying to be part of this community is larger. The sheer number and quality of the performers submitting to perform on our lakeside stage is staggering.”
Slated to return to Jam Fest are the quartet GrooveSession, California rockers The Mother Hips, Grateful Dead-specialists, Cubensis, as well as the outlaw hippie bluegrassers The Storytellers. Blues guitarist Marc Ford, previously with the Black Crowes, is a recent addition to the lineup.
Also performing is Alex Jordan Band, Hempstring Orchestra, Kareeta, Boot Juice, Wolf Jett, Shaky Feelin’, Sanford Street, and Katie Skene Band. The Festival Express, Lightning Dan & the Crawdads, The Great North Special, Tracorum and Love Mischief round out the roster.
“Our lineup was carefully curated so as to provide fans with a wide range of talent and musical styles,” Hunt said. “Besides jam bands, our guests will enjoy rock, funk, folk, bluegrass, and more. Each act is comprised of top-tier musicians, all of them committed to producing creative, colorful, improvisational, and joy filled sounds that will inspire festival goers to dance and sing along.”
According to Hunt, the fact that the event is a not-for-profit fundraiser makes it less susceptible to what she and other industry insiders are calling “festival fatigue.”
“We’re seeing many more music festivals being produced as promoters realize how profitable they can be if done right,” said Hunt. “Our community, however, has just dug in their heels when it comes to supporting Jam Fest. … They appreciate that 95 percent of our staff are volunteers. They understand that, while this is an event rich with music and love and community and color, nobody is getting rich. The money goes back into our lakeside mountain community in the form of art education and scholarships for young people and much more.”
Jam Fest is sponsored by JLLOOPPAA, a nonprofit organization that supports the creative and performing arts in Mono County. They host, sponsor and fund a range of educational, exhibitive and performing arts opportunities and events. They support emerging local talent and enrich the creative economy and enliven the artistic values of the community.
The festival provides opportunities for arts, crafts and food vendors, as well as camping, boating, hiking, fishing, biking, dining and more.
To purchase presale passes/tickets, visit JuneLakeJamFest2023.eventbrite.com
To learn more about the June Lake Jam Fest, visit www.junelakejamfest.org
To learn more about the June Lake Loop Performing Arts Association, visit www.junelakearts.org.