Wakarusa impact potentially more than $10 million

story by Peter Lewis

It’s possible the economic impact of the Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival will be greater than $10 million.

The sixth annual Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival is set to be held on Mulberry Mountain near Ozark, June 4-7. From its inception in 2004 until 2008, the June festival was held just outside of Lawrence, Kan. 

With previous ticket figures reaching above 20,000, the festival’s move to the area is anticipated to have a large economic impact on the River Valley. An estimate on the impact the festival had on the Lawrence area was slated in the $8 million to $10 million range.

With Wakarusa officials reporting that ticket figures are above what they were in previous years, an estimated 10,000-15,000 concert goers are expected each day.  There will be visitors converging on the area from all directions as tickets have been sold in every state in the U.S. This is sure to have an effect on a wide area around Ozark as provisions and gas are purchased for the long weekend of music.

NATURAL BEAUTY
One of the key reasons behind relocating Wakarusa to the area was the natural beauty of the area, according to Festival Director Brett Mosiman

“We had been looking to move the festival for several years. We had explored sites in several states. When we found Mulberry Mountain, we knew we had what we were looking for,” Mosiman explained. “It is an absolute perfect site in so many ways and we hope to be there for many years to come.”

When pressed further, he added, “We fell in love with the beauty of Northwest Arkansas. The waterfalls, the mountains, the scenic float rivers all made us think Wakarusa would be more of a vacation with great music instead of just your average music festival.” 

It is, of course, necessary to have more than geographical beauty on your side when producing a large scale music festival. So the infrastructure in place on Mulberry Mountain was paramount.

“Things like plentiful water, plentiful power, paved roads, shower house, and even permanent stages made it a home run in our book,” Mosiman added.

EMPLOYMENT BOOST
Manpower to produce a large scale festival is another of the many tasks facing Mosiman. Based in Lawrence, Kan., Wakarusa employs a small year round staff.  Supplementing this staff in the buildup to the event are hundreds of temporary employees and volunteers. In addition to this, multiple third-party service providers are also utilized to ensure the success of the event.

While Mosiman said there were no plans at this time to relocate the Wakarusa headquarters to the Fort Smith/Van Buren area, he said “it was a good idea.”

MUSIC DETAILS
As for the actual music, the participating bands are from a variety of genres, but with a focus on “jambands.” The list of participating groups have been announced, though an official schedule detailing show times is not expected until early May. 

One of the more “democratic” approaches to this particular music festival is the battle of the bands competition held leading up to the festival.  The “Waka Winter Classic” allows lesser known groups to jockey for a chance to play at the June festival. According to Mosiman, the level of participation is higher than any year prior. Among the bands vying for a spot is local group Copesetic. (To show your support and vote for the River Valley band, click here).

There is the distinct possibility of a long term relationship between Mulberry Mountain and the Wakarusa festival on the horizon.

“Overall, we have been ecstatic with our reception in Arkansas and our fans seem to be very excited with the move to Mulberry Mountain,” Mosiman said.

With the economic benefits the festival brings to the area, one hopes the area’s populous have reciprocal feelings towards the festival and its promotion.