ANN ARBOR – The sixth annual Neutral Zone teen-curated music and arts festival Live on Washington will take place Saturday from 3 to 10 p.m.
The event is free, open to the public and will feature a main stage on Washington Street and a stage inside The Neutral Zone, as well as a series of activities including a petting zoo, basketball hoops, presentations by the Ann Arbor District Library and more.
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Each year, a team of teens meets weekly starting in September to plan and curate the event. This includes recruiting and booking talent, and designing and putting together the entire program.
They also have their own marketing team and have raised nearly $20,000 this year for the event.
(Photo: Live on Washington)
"To me, it’s about giving the teens the opportunity to host a music festival and to create something for other young people to give them a stage in the downtown community," Neutral Zone executive director Lori Roddy told A4. "I think that’s really powerful."
This year, the teens have attracted talent from across Washtenaw County and New York City.
In total, 70 youth will be showcasing their talent over 22 performances, with genres ranging from rap, jazz, rock, acoustic song and spoken word poetry.
Below is the 2018 Live on Washington Lineup:
The B-Side Acoustic Stage (inside The Neutral Zone)
- Mary Collins 3:45-4:15 p.m.
- Hazel Byers 4:15-4:45 p.m.
- Magdalen Fossum 4:45-5:15 p.m.
- Sacha Verlon 5:15-5:45 p.m.
- Sawyer Dupre 5:45-6:15 p.m.
- Kaye Hoff 6:15-6:45 p.m.
- Day Dream Project 6:45-7:15 p.m.
- The Quintet 7:15-7:45 p.m.
Main Stage (on Washington Street and corner of 5th)
- Nadim Azzam 3:00-3:30 p.m.
- Colorless Exile 3:30-4:00 p.m.
- Blxck Diamond 4:00-4:15 p.m.
- ATM MONEY Mob 4:15-4:30 p.m.
- Impulse 4:30-5:00 p.m.
- Lushh 5:00-5:30 p.m.
- Dye Hard 5:30-6:00 p.m.
- Jacent 6:00-6:15 p.m.
- Kenny Davis 6:15-6:30 p.m.
- Vanguard Development Project 6:30-7:00 p.m.
- The Left Lanes 7:00-7:30 p.m.
- Present Company 7:30-8:00 p.m.
- Rosewood 8:00-8:30 p.m.
- DJ Sets – Boost and Rose 8:30-9:00 p.m.
- KLLO 9:00-10:00 p.m.
- DJ Program in Transition Spots: DJ Boost, DJ Rose
Each year, Live on Washington features a headlining artist. This year, Melbourne-based electronic duo KLLO will be performing on the main stage with an accompanying club scene light show. They have toured widely in Australia and around the world, and their last two EPs have been streamed more than 28 million times on Spotify.
The event grew out of "Breaking Curfew," a collaboration between University Musical Society and The Neutral Zone showcasing young talent at the Power Center. After more than 10 years running, the event came to an end.
Roddy said holding the event outside of The Neutral Zone's building cut costs, but also gave it a more welcoming and inclusive feel.
"Doing it on the street gives more access to more people," said Roddy. "I think one of the big things is there are no tickets. Every young person can come downtown and experience the event, be together and be a part of this community."
For updates and more information, visit LiveOnWashington.com.
About The Neutral Zone
The Neutral Zone is a diverse, youth-driven teen center dedicated to promoting personal growth through artistic expression, community leadership and the exchange of ideas. To learn more, visit www.neutral-zone.org.