A variety of music genres, local food, live art and a venue right in the heart of Tucson are what you can expect this year at DUSK music festival Nov. 10 and 11.

2018 marks the third year of DUSK but the first year that the festival will be downtown.  

“This year is unique, because we’re moving downtown, so to be in a dense urban environment is a unique set of challenges, but the result is gonna be pretty breathtaking. It’s going to be really cool,” said Page Repp, the festival director.

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Repp is a “jack of all trades” for the festival, meaning he does everything from talent buying, negotiating artists’ contracts and designing the venue to laying out the sights and planning the events.

“Our last two years have been at Rillito [Park], which is a nice setting, but it’s just a big field, so now we have buildings and parks and trees, and some people might think of that as a detriment, but in this case, they’re all assets that are going to make the festival more interesting than it was at Rillito,” Repp said.

Jordan Vogel, another festival director, said he is most excited for the venue change.

“There’s just always been something about wanting to move it downtown that has just always been in the back of our minds,” Vogel said. “Right in the heart of Tucson just makes sense to us.”

According to Repp, the directors of DUSK wanted the experience to be unique and something that Tucsonans can be proud of, which is why they moved downtown and will be featuring local food and art at the event.

“We have some great food options. All of it is local from Tucson establishments,” Repp said.

Some food vendors include Parish, Dante’s Fire, Empire Pizza and Gastronomic Union of Tucson.

“GUT is a lot of really good restaurants that come together, and this group of chefs create this crazy unique experience for DUSK,” Repp said.

Not only will the food at DUSK be local, so will the art, according to Repp. 

“We’re going to have some live art going on: painting, body painting and hair art,” Repp said. “There are also large installations, so there are large art projects and large murals.”

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One featured mural will be 90 feet wide and nine feet tall, according to Repp.  

DUSK will also feature 9 to12 artists doing live projects, ranging in size from something the size of a couch to the size of a dorm room, according to Repp.

“We have 3D ‘realer than life’ sculptures and vendors catered to University of Arizona students,” Vogel said.

The festival is all inclusive, as the directors said they want it to be something that people from all walks of life can come to.

“We want it to be UA kids, downtown people, local residents, young and old, so as we go forward, we want it to be as inclusive as it can be be, something that everyone can have a good time at,” Repp said.

According to Vogel, the directors are trying to make the festival more inclusive of the University of Arizona.

“Eight months ago, when we sat down and discussed what kind of lineup we want, one thing we had in the back of our minds was to make it more catered to the UA,” Vogel said.

Jocelyn Valencia is a UA alumna and is managing DUSK’s social media and vendors.  

“I feel like DUSK is the perfect opportunity for UA students to not only have fun at a festival but also to support the local community while they’re doing it,” Valencia said.

At DUSK, UA students can expect to see local talent and national touring talent from all over the country, including artists that have performed at other festivals like Coachella.  

The artists provide a range of sound, from EDM, rock, and hip-hop to house genres of music.  

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“We have a good solid lineup that should have a little something for everybody,” Repp said.

The mix is diverse, according to Repp. The lineup features a variety of female artists.

“I love seeing female acts and what they’re doing in the industry, especially in such a male-dominated industry,” Vogel said.

Vogel said he is most excited to see Anna Lunoe perform.

“When it comes to house, she is doing really cool things with it,” Vogel said.

Getting artists to perform can be a difficult task, according to Vogel. For bigger artists, like Dillon Francis, who travel with large crews and a lot of equipment, the DUSK directors have more to do from a production standpoint and in terms of talent buying.  

“Putting on an event this size is very difficult. It takes a lot of time and a lot of people,” Repp said.  “We have a really good team and really good workers.”

Tickets can be bought online through DUSK’s website.

“We’re hoping that DUSK is going to provide something unexpected for everyone there,” Repp said. “We want it to be a fun, upbeat place where maybe people can experience something they’ve never experienced before.” 

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