Kent Rocks Music Festival will have 26 local bands at 23 venues in Downtown Kent Friday.

The featured bands and artists will play classic rock, rock, blues and acoustic sets, starting at 7 p.m.

Some of the venues that will host the bands include Water Street Taverne, Zephyr Pub, Taco Tonto’s, and many more. This will allow attendees to order food and drinks while enjoying the free entertainment.

This festival has been rebranded from Kent ‘Round Town Music Festival’ to Kent Rocks Music Fest. Though it has been rebranded, the festival still brings free live music downtown and allows up-and-coming artists the platform to get their names out there and play.

With new venues and bands, this year’s festival will allow the public to get together, relax and enjoy the night.

“We want people to get together with friends and family to catch some entertainment like we used to,” said Bob Burford, coordinator of the Kent Rocks Music Festival and a Crooked River Fine Arts Council member.

The Crooked River Fine Arts Council puts on Kent Rocks as well as other popular festivals the city hosts, like the Kent Blues Fest and Kent BeatleFest. 

The council’s primary function is to give back to the Kent community in many ways, from sponsoring performing arts festivals and live band performances to donating money to local organizations. According to Burford, the council gave back over $20,000 to the community pre-pandemic.

“We just hope people enjoy the line-up and have a good time,” Burford said.

Genevieve Krejci is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].