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FORWARD Park Concerts

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FORWARD logo 2024

FORWARD: Local Music. Local Parks.

Est. 2019

The free, Wednesday evening FORWARD Park Concerts highlight local bands and regional headliners. 

Concerts are held in six different walkable, pet friendly, and bike trail connected parks - one in each City ward.

Come for local food trucks, plus family-friendly fun with Rochester Public Library's Bookmobile, and interactive games with Rochester Parks & Rec’s Go! Play! Explore! Mobile Rec Trailer!

Save the dates - we'll see you next year! 2025 dates:

  • June 4, 2025
  • June 11, 2025
  • June 18, 2025
  • August 13, 2025
  • August 20, 2025
  • August 27, 2025

Bad Bad Hats

forWARD Park Concerts

FW_FB_BBH Current_oval 2020

The free, Wednesday evening forWARD Park Concerts are live music events showcasing local bands and regional emerging headliners. Concerts are held in six different walkable, pet friendly, and bike trail connected parks, one in each city ward.
 
Local food trucks, craft beer, and family-friendly fun with the Rochester Public Library's Bookmobile and Rochester Park & Rec’s Go! Play! Explore! Mobile Rec Trailer, round out these must-attend community events.
 
Vendor List: Little Thistle Brewing, The Compadres, Indigo Acai Bowls, True Smoke BBQ

More about forWARD here.

CLICK HERE to access CART captioning services. CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) services sponsored by Mayo Clinic. 

Share your feedback to win a prize pack! Fill out a digital survey to be entered in a drawing for a free City of Rochester/Mayo Clinic prize pack. The survey will be open from 5 PM until 7 PM day of show and can be accessed HERE, or at the Civic Music tent, or via QR codes that will be posted throughout the park. The winner will be announced from stage during the headlining act. Must be present to win. Prize packs can be picked up at the Civic Music tent. More details about our surveys here. 


About the Artists

5:30 PM - WHY NOT
 
WHY NOT is this trio’s self-titled mission statement. Fueled by the tension and uncertainty of the time and the changes in the band’s personal lives and colored by the joy of creating with each other and feeling inspiration in dark times.
 
The band have pivoted from their math rock and punk beginnings, incorporating more of their wide variety of musical influences and showcasing their burgeoning songcraft. The result is an amalgamation of punching drums, intricate guitars, digital distortion, and whatever experimental recording technique the band uncovers all built around an incredibly memorable suite of songs.


6:30 PM Headliner -  BAD BAD HATS

Bad Bad Hats is an indie rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The band consists of Kerry Alexander, Chris Hoge, and Connor Davison. Named for a trouble-making character from the Madeline children’s books, Bad Bad Hats is defined by a balance of sweet and sour.

Their music honors classic pop songwriting, with nods to nineties rock simplicity and pop-punk frivolity. Through it all, Alexander’s unflinchingly sincere lyrics cut to the emotional heart of things.


Sponsored by Mayo Clinic & The Current

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Additional Information

Accessibility
when
cost
seating
Items to bring
Concessions
Surveys
Smoking
Weather Policy
Bike Racks
Restrooms
Soliciting
Opportunities


FORWARD has been sponsored by Mayo Clinic since 2020.

Presented in partnership with Rochester Parks & Recreation and the Rochester Public Library.

 

SEMAC Legacy Logo

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.