Since 2017, hundreds have flocked to the borough of Millvale for the annual Millvale Music Festival to enjoy live bands, comedy shows and spoken word/poetry. The festival returns this weekend for two full days of entertainment, art and food.
The idea to hold a festival began in 2016 when members of the borough’s community development corporation wanted to find a way to bring people into Millvale, according to the festival’s committee chair Paul Bossung.
“We just planned on having a few bands at a couple different venues and have a nice Saturday,” Bossung said. “It’s just grown exponentially since then that we’re well over 300 acts and 28 stages over two days. It’s been a whirlwind. It’s been fun.”
Bossung said the festival is intentionally organized throughout the narrow borough streets and multiple venues so attendees have to explore and discover — so wear appropriate shoes!
“It’s a bit of a scavenger hunt,” Bossung said. “You look at a map with all this stuff and on it and you go, ‘I want to go here, where is it?’ And sometimes it’s in the basement of an old German social hall and sometimes it’s in the community center or the middle of the community gardens.”
The best way to navigate the festival is to download their Millvale Music Festival app (Google Play, Apple app store). Tabs in the interface allow users to find which acts they want to see and “feature” them to create a personalized lineup.
While there are hundreds of performers scheduled, WYEP listeners will recognize many local groups, including Paging Doctor Moon, Feralcat and the Wild, M.E.L.T and Boy Wonders. Meeting of Important People will be performing at the grand opening of Mr. Smalls’ new space, “The Sanctuary” on Friday, May 16 at 10:15 p.m.
Tours will be available of The Sanctuary the following day. Another new venue added this year is Burgher’s Brewing and the Burgher’s Brewing Art Bus.
Attendees can also visit the iconic Maxo Vanka murals at St. Nicholas Church for classical music performances, and, of course, the WYEP stage at Mr. Smalls on Butler Street. There you can catch a show by NASH.V.ILL on Saturday, May 17; you might recognize the group from WYEP’s Hellbender Ball in 2023.
As the festival grows each year, Bossung said he often likes to walk through the streets and notice where attendees are coming from.
“I saw a few license plates from California, Ohio, New York,” Bossung said. “It’s wild. It’s become a destination like so many other big festivals.”
Millvale Music Festival is free, and a percentage of all proceeds go to pay for the bands and artists, but Bossung said the event could always use donations to ensure future success.
Parking in Millvale can be tricky, considering the narrow streets and limited space, so Bossung encourages people to drive together, get a rideshare or bike.
A full lineup of the festival can be found here.
