Photo courtesy of Elaine Marschik / Flickr
Thousands of music fans will converge in Birmingham, Alabama, this weekend for a festival named after its unconventional venue, the Sloss Furnaces. The site once used to forge iron for the L&N Railroad will soon be heating up with musical acts ranging from 21 Savage to Chris Stapleton.
Sloss Music and Arts Festival launched in 2015 with a relatively short but power-packed lineup including The Avett Brothers and Modest Mouse. Since then its playbill has grown by nearly 40 percent, creating space for more bands at the four main stages.
The furnaces opened in 1882 under the direction of Colonel James Withers Sloss and remained active well into the 20th century under various owners and managers. Today the site is recognized as a national historic landmark and contains a museum of the city of Birmingham, according to the furnace’s website.
In the two-day festival’s fourth installment, guests can explore Sloss’s beer garden as well as a silent disco and live iron pouring by the Sloss Metal Arts Program. According to the festival site, Sloss is “a celebration of the unique, creative culture that makes life in Birmingham so unique.”
Sidelines will offer coverage of both days of the festival along with features on specific acts, including the Nashville-based husband-and-wife duo *repeat repeat. Check back for daily wrap-ups and show reviews throughout the weekend.
Click here to view the full festival lineup and information on tickets.
To contact Lifestyles Editor Sydney Wagner, email lifestyles@mtsusidelines.com.
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