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Sluice Fest rocks Huntsville

The two-day music festival features 36 local and regional bands, but it's about more than music.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The Rocket City is known for a lot of things, like Space Camp and Redstone Arsenal. It's also home to a thriving music scene. Sluice Fest is an event that showcases just that….the talented musicians and artists who make up this growing regional music scene. 

Organizer Christina Nava says one of the reasons for the festival is, "...for growing the Huntsville music scene…there's just so much talent here, its just a really important thing we can do." 

And this year's 36-band festival lineup is something organizers Ashleigh Jackson and Christina Nava are incredibly excited about. Nava says there's one thing that ties all of sluice's musical acts together. "These bands all have something in common, they've all worked very hard to get where they're at….and you can really hear that in their music" 

After documenting Huntsville's music scene and writing local band reviews in her self-published 'Sluice' zine, Jackson created what she calls "the live-action version of the magazine"…Sluice Festival. "Fanzine came first and that came out in 2016, and then the first festival was in 2018"

And the festival has grown since. Nava says, "One day in beginning, now two days, VIP show, the whole weekend, talking about returning bands, the turnout and how fun it was."

Live music isn't the only thing guests can enjoy. There's locally made vegan and vegetarian food, lemonade and popsicles, and a VIP show with the chance to win a guitar.

And what makes sluice festival so special? Nava says, "It's always like a very sweet time where everybody comes together and celebrates everyone's accomplishments in music this year." In fact, Jackson and  Nava say they don't make a dime off of the festival. "The great thing about sluice festival, everything we're generating.. all of that is free...on top of that every door ticket goes directly back into the Huntsville music scene," says Nava.

Sluice Fest runs through Saturday, August 13 at Side Tracks Music Hall and Gold Sprint Coffee.

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