15 Nov 24th–Nov 30th, 2022 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | cONTeNTs | feeDBacK | OPiNiON | NeWs | feaTuRe | NighT+Day | culTuRe | film | cafe | music | Your Guide to Zona Music Festival L ike any big music event, there’s lots to consider when getting ready to head to Zona Music Festival, from where to park and what to wear to how to stay warm and comfortable for hours on end. Here’s what you need to know to make your Zona Music Festival experience a success. When and Where Is the Festival? Zona Music Festival will be held on Saturday, December 3, and Sunday, December 4. On those days, the box office will open at 11 a.m., doors open at noon, and the music starts at 12:30 p.m. Look for the music to end around 11 p.m. each evening. The festival will take place at Margaret T. Hance Park in downtown Phoenix, 67 West Culver Street. How Much Do Tickets Cost? General admission weekend passes cost $175 plus $18.28 in fees. A one-day general admission pass for Saturday or Sunday costs $89 plus $13.56 in fees. VIP passes are available and benefits include an exclusive entrance to the festival, re-entry to the festival, preferred viewing areas, exclusive bars and lounges, private restrooms, and access to heaters, charging stations, and other amenities. VIP weekend passes and one-day passes for Saturday or Sunday are $349 plus $25.72 in fees and $175 plus $20.35 in fees, respectively. Attendees who bought their ticket before mid-November had their wristband mailed to them. If you’re just getting a ticket now, you’ll pick up your wristband at the box office. Is There an Age Limit? Zona Music Festival is an all-ages event. What’s the Weather Going to Be Like? It’s too soon to tell, but early December average temperatures are in the high 60s during the day and low to mid-40s at night. Even if you work up a sweat dancing during the day, you’ll want to dress warmly when the sun goes down. How Do I Get There? Between the thousands of people expected for the festival, plus events going on that weekend at Footprint Center, Herberger Theater Center, Orpheum Theatre, Arizona Financial Theatre, and more, your best choice to get to Zona Music Festival is to not drive there. There are Valley Metro Rail stations along Central Avenue at McDowell Road and Roosevelt Street that are just a few blocks away from Hance Park, and a one-day pass is just $4. Ride-sharing services like Lyft and Uber are also an option. I Really Want to Drive. Where Should I Park? The downtown Phoenix area has thousands of parking spaces within walking distance which are metered daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and cost $1 to $1.50 per hour. Dozens of parking structures are also available throughout downtown and are anywhere from $20 to $60 per day. Camille Sledge of Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra says that they leapt at the chance to be on the bill. “Steve is our good friend and we always work with him,” she says. “If he tells us something’s legit or going down, we always jump on it.” Sledge also says she’s delighted by the number of female artists on the bill, a fact that Chilton says was a deliberate choice. “It’s just something we kind of thought a little bit more about and were more conscious of, tracking it as we booked. It was important that that representation be there,” he says. “But when you kind of think about it, it’s not hard. No one’s on [the lineup] for any reason other than we think they’re a great artist. We work with tons of great female artists.” It all adds up to a diverse list of acts that has a little something for everyone. “There’s a lot of art to putting a lineup together,” Chilton says. “It’s a hard balance to make it diverse enough to be interesting, but coherent enough to make sense. … How can we push boundaries enough to make it interesting but still make sure it’s a pleasurable experience and not a hodge-podge of a lot of different bands? It’s very curated, and if you like a lot of the bands on it, you’re probably going to like a lot of the other bands on it.” Getting Ready R.J. Price, chief growth officer for Downtown Phoenix Inc., the nonprofit organization devoted to making the city a vibrant urban center, says Margaret T. Hance Park is prepped and ready for Zona thanks to a revitalization project in recent years. “Obviously, there’s been a lot of work done and preparations made in advance of the Super Bowl,” Price says. “The park can’t look much better than it does now, so that’s going to be great.” Charlie Brand of Miniature Tigers, the indie band that started in Phoenix in 2006, says the group is planning a more rock-leaning sound for their Zona set on Saturday, December 3. “We’ve had different incarnations as a band and flirted with different styles and genres, and we’re trying to go a little more rock with these shows, go a little more Nirvana or Weezer, letting it be a little raw and less put-together,” he says. >> p 16 >> p 16 From left: Robbie Pfeffer of Playboy Manbaby, Miniature Tigers’ Charlie Brand, Sydney Sprague, Nick Zawisa from Breakup Shoes, and Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra’s Camille Sledge. Jim Louvau E
