Dreamland has announced its two-day festival in Austin, TX. The first-of-its-kind festival is set for Saturday, May 2nd and Sunday, May 3rd. The experience, centered around the “American Dream” and the promise that it holds for the immigrant communities, will explore and honor these roots.
The festival will host genre-spanning artists including a headlining performance by indie-roots band Dispatch and additional performances by Alejandro Escovedo, Atash, Bob Schneider & His Band, Carolyn Wonderland, Del Castillo, Ian Moore, Jesse Dayton, Kalu & The Electric Joint, Mélat, Oliver Rajamani, Shinyribs, Úlla. Additional headlining acts will be announced in the coming weeks.
Dreamland is playful and purposeful, colorful and connective, indulgent and introspective. It’s a safe haven where we meet to explore different perspectives and find common ground. Everyone belongs at Dreamland.
Admission is free, but tickets are limited. To earn a free ticket, hopeful attendees can join the Dream Team on dream.org to be entered into a ticketing lottery.
Participation is encouraged throughout the festival and on the official Dreamland App (available on April 10th on Apple iOS and Google Android). Attendees will earn points via their digital passport by engaging with interactive experiences—ultimately unlocking exclusive rewards.
Dreamland is a non-profit initiative made possible by generous organizations, artists and sponsors that support the vision for an America united through shared experience. The festival was conceptualized by Steve Kuhn, Founder of IDEAL (Immigration Designed to Enhance American Lives), crafted as not only two unforgettable nights of live music but to act as a balm for the divisive rhetoric that often surrounds discussions about immigration in America.
“[The issue of] immigration is filled with anger and closed minds,” said Kuhn on the inspiration behind the festival. “We want to bring people together. We want to open minds and hearts and let people enjoy each other to help make the discussion around immigration a more joyful and productive one.”
Art at Dreamland will be large in scale and vision. The open-space art areas of the festival will be filled with curated and commissioned sculptures from some of America’s most respected visionary artists. Individual works are designed to lift spirits while reinforcing our common humanity. Through art, our empathy for others grows, as does our understanding of ourselves.
Art at the festival will feature a series of carefully selected sculptures and installations that are designed to bring people together and challenge preconceived beliefs about immigrants. We seek to create a safe setting for both personal reflection and meaningful conversation about the art, about the American dream, about coming together and finding common ground. Installations include:
A custom-built “Ellis Island” entrance immerses attendees in video, audio, photos and real stories of America’s early immigrants.
Art by Michael Benisty, a multi-media artist working in Brooklyn, NY who creates incredible works intended to awaken and provoke a questioning of the world’s current state of affairs.
Art by Chris Carnabuci, a world-renowned sculptor working in New York City, NY.
Art by Paola Mendoza, who immigrated to the country at the age of 3 with her family.
Art by the Flaming Lotus Girls, world-renowned purveyors of fine fiery artistic mayhem.
And much more …
