MusicfestNW was founded by publisher Richard H. Meeker and editor Mark Zusman who worked for Willamette Week, an alternative weekly newspaper published in Portland. They teamed up with South by Southwest, an annual music and new media festival, to create a sister festival called North by Northwest. The festival was rebranded as MusicfestNW after a change in sponsorship.
MusicfestNW quickly became one of the largest indoor music festivals in the United States. For example, the 2013 festival featured over 175 bands and attracted more than 30,000 music lovers from all over the United States and abroad. Concerts were held at over a dozen popular music venues across Portland.
In 2014, the promoters transformed MusicfestNW into a two-day outdoor event that took place at Tom McCall Waterfront Park located in downtown Portland, along the Willamette River. Performances were held on two stages instead of multiple venues.
Due to the change of format, the line-up of the festival was significantly reduced. MusicfestNW 2014 featured 18 artists over two days. The next year, the festival expanded to three days and featured 22 artists. Besides, it hosted MFNW Nights, a series of more intimate performances in Portland’s theaters, bars, and other small venues.
In 2016, MusicfestNW teamed up with Project Pabst, a music festival sponsored by the Pabst Brewing Company. The new event was named MusicfestNW presents ProjectPabst. It is a two-day music festival with an exciting line-up. For example, the line-up at the 2017 event included Iggy Pop, Die Antwoord, Spoon, Father John Misty, Nas, and other notable musicians.
In 2012, MusicfestNW expanded its program by launching PDX: Portal Digital Experience, a tech conference focusing on startups. However, the conference quickly became an independent event. The organizers renamed it TechfestNW and moved the conference to spring.
Photo: musicfestnw.com
