Detroit’s Fort Wayne will be the site of the first Oakaloosa music festival Saturday, July 27, and a protion of the proceeds will go toward fixing up the historic fort on the Detroit River.
The festival will feature such national headlining acts as Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Girl Talk, as well as some of Detroit’s newest performers.
Organizers are calling Oakaloosa the region’s "first fully philanthropic music festival." A percentage of every dollar raised will be donated to the restoration of Historic Fort Wayne.
Oakaloosa is the second music gathering this summer scheduled for an unusual Detroit venue. Metallica's Orion festival is slated for June 8 and 9 on Belle Isle and will include 30 acts.
Oakaloosa is organized by Detroit Sports Zone, Inc., a non-profit group committed to exposing people of all ages to sports, cultural arts, mentoring, life-skill development and character building activities. Additional proceeds from the festival will be used to support the youth sports and mentoring programs provided through Detroit Sports Zone, Inc.
Using two stages, Oakaloosa will present DJ mash-up artist Girl Talk and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s 20th anniversary reunion tour. The reunion tour is the first time all five original members of the Grammy-winning rap group have performed together since the ‘1990s. Other featured artists include such homegrown talent as Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas, Trick Trick, Robert James, Royce Da 5’9”, Dj A.M.F., Kaleido, Ro Spit, Hir-O, Freddy Todd and Paulina Jayne. Additional artists will be announced closer to the festival.
Festival passes are $45 each and are currently available through Oakaloosa.com. The stages will be set up near the barracks and the Detroit River, with the open field available to festival goers.
