JoyFest 2024 banner
Community, creativity and the power of the collective are the core values of JoyFest, a one-day music and arts festival and fundraiser by Girls Rock MKE, presented by Music Go Round, taking place this Sunday, Dec. 15 at X-Ray Arcade (5036 S. Packard Ave.) from noon to 11 p.m.
This first annual JoyFest centers and celebrates marginalized genders and identities of Milwaukee’s creative spaces with a full-day all-ages show, an open mic featuring Ladies Rock MKE alumni band The Audacity, a workshop with Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin from noon to 2 p.m., a silent auction featuring prizes contributed by a myriad of local businesses, a 50/50 raffle, a community art project and more.
As new Executive Director of Girls Rock MKE, Mary Joy intended to create a flagship community event for the organization that reflected its values and culture, taking inspiration from her time as a core organizer of Riverwest FemFest for several years.
Potent Event
“I thought that a music festival that spotlighted bands connected to our campers and volunteers, plus some of our favorite women and gender-expansive-driven artists in the city, could make for a potent event,” she explains. “Riverwest FemFest was a living, breathing community organism that blossomed year after year into this powerful community-driven force. Coming out of COVID, I was feeling a deep hunger for the type of energy and community that comes out of cultivating a safe, supportive, and celebratory space for the artistic contributions not always centered on stages.”
She also aimed to expand performance opportunities for bands formed out of the organization’s camps beyond just their showcases, adding, “I wanted to create an opportunity for our alumni to let it rip with full performance slots within the same supportive Girls Rock community context.”
Featuring WUWM’s Joy Powers as emcee, the stellar, diverse lineup will include bands and performers Wonderbubble, Razor Toast, DJ Femme Noir, Paranormal, Orange Drink, Lily Slay, Tea Service, Edie Current, Antimeria, Full Nude, Jinksie, and a special reunion performance from Saebra & Carlyle. Curated DJ sets by performing bands are planned as well.
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Collective Power
On what the power of the collective means to Girls Rock MKE and herself, Mary Joy shares, “We operate in a society where we are so conditioned to the values of capitalism and patriarchy: competition, power over, us versus them. Something radically healing and generative happens when you intentionally name and discard those dynamics and instead embrace collaborative, supportive values that uplift and empower the collective.
“In our Girls Rock programs, I like to say we create a different kind of space where we invite every participant, campers, volunteers, and community guests, to embrace and express their authentic selves. When you feel safe expressing yourself as you are, and those around you also experience that safety, those patriarchal values become useless as you discover how nourishing it is to tap into that interconnectedness and mutual support.”
By challenging toxic dynamics and scarcity mindsets, the aptly-named JoyFest will be an exciting display of the robust and vibrant community that both Girls Rock and Ladies Rock MKE comprise.
“Through the lens of oppression and marginalization, power is found not in divided individuals as patriarchy would like you to think, but rather in the collective whole,” Mary Joy concludes. “In community together, we can find and embrace joy despite the challenges we face, and nobody can take that away.”
Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 at the door. The $50 VIP package includes a ticket, Girls Rock merch package, fest poster and artist playlist. Tickets are available here: etix.com.
