The Manifestivus world music festival will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year in Cabot, Vermont, not far from the Canadian border. The festival takes place August 17th & 18th.
Manifestivus, hosted by afrobeat band Toubab Krewe, is described as a “local festival with a global vibe.” It will feature an eclectic lineup of international musicians in a Vermont country setting. The festival will feature headlining sets by Toubab Krewe each night. Toubab Krewe bassist and Cabot native David Pransky founded Manifestivus in 2002.
Performers at this year’s Manifestivus include Jamaican reggae artists Rootz Underground, Congolese soukous musician Diblo Dibala (who is also known as “Machine Gun” for his speed and skill on the guitar), vocalist Awa Sangho from Mali, Brooklyn Afrobeat collective Zongo Junction, Toubab Krewe (Asheville, North Carolina), Elastic Bond (Miami, Florida), Barika (Burlington, Vermont), Fear Nuttin Band (Springfield, Massachusetts), Ila Mawana (Boston, Massachusetts), Voodoo Fix (Los Angeles, California), Benyoro (New York), Kat Wright and the Indomidable Soul Band (Burlington, Vermont), and Afinque (Burlington, Vermont). More artists will be announced soon.
The event takes place on the 93-acre Pransky family farm in a town just shy of 250 residents. Just six hours north of New York City, and three hours from Boston or Montreal, the site boasts hiking trails, swimming ponds and woodland forest. Manifestivus offers on-site camping, yoga, West African dancing and drumming, community art projects and local crafts, healthy living seminars, workshops, costume theme nights, various culinary vendors, and cross-cultural immersion.