NoMa Warehouse has announces SolFest RollFest, a music and bicycle festival featuring Columbia’s first bike-powered stage. SolFest RollFest will take place July 2 from noon – 6 pm at Earlewood Park.
A music and community event started by NoMa Warehouse in 2021, SolFest began as a micro-music festival hosted at 2222 Sumter Street. The first year’s event was held on the Summer Solstice and focused on music, community, and fun with 4 bands, 10 local sponsors, and a sold-out audience of 200.
For 2022, NoMa Warehouse wanted to bring an event that is bigger and more impactful to Columbia. Inspired by the band Illiterate Light’s sustainability initiatives and their bike-powered stage, a sustainability focus and bicycling element were added, and SolFest RollFest was born.
Illiterate Light will be headlining the festival and will be joined by seven additional bands and solo artists.
Festivities will include the Rockin’ Rollin’ Group Bike Ride prior to the start of the festival, Kids Bicycle Rodeo, opportunities to pedal power the bike stage, a bicycle valet to keep your bike safe, bounce houses, two stages of music, artisan craft vendors, food vendors, beer and more.
The goal is to be a zero-waste event, so guests will be asked to bring their own containers for beer and drinks, bring their own t-shirts to be printed with festival graphics, and vendors will all be eco-friendly and generate as little waste as possible. The two stages will be powered with pedal-powered and solar generators.
SolFest RollFest hopes to welcome 5,000 attendees to the event this year and make a positive economic impact on the City of Columbia and Richland County. Proceeds from the event will enable NoMa Warehouse to contribute to Sustainable Midlands and the Palmetto Cycling Coalition, both of which raise awareness and take action to improve sustainability and safe, healthy communities. They are partnered with Blue Bikes SC, Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Climate Protection Action Campaign, the Cola Town Bike Collective, and many more wonderful SC organizations.
The Rockin’ Rollin’ Group Ride registration, as well as sponsorship, vendor and volunteer applications, are open now.
For more information on SolFest RollFest, visit www.SolFest-RollFest.com. You can also follow the festival on Facebook @SolFest.RollFest and Instagram @SolFest.RollFest. The full artist lineup will be announced in May.
