City Stages is a three-day, family-friendly, arts and music festival that takes place in downtown Birmingham, Alabama in and around Linn Park. City Stages features 150 to 200 acts on anywhere from 9-11 stages ranging from hip-hop to country. Many of the world's renowned performers and musicians have made appearances at City Stages during the festival's 20-year history.

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History

City Stages was started in 1989 by former Alabama Lieutenant Governor George McMillan and a group of civic leaders who wanted to start a downtown music festival that would promote Birmingham's City Center as part of that year's Alabama Reunion. By all accounts those goals were met as the festival's early success is credited with reestablishing the downtown area as a vibrant and pleasant district. In the years since City Stages began, several other festivals have been launched downtown. McMillan's firm McMillan Associates continues to manage and promote the festival.

City Stages grew rapidly in its first 5 years from a small regional festival to a world-renowned music event. At its peak, the festival featured 13 stages and performance areas over a 13 block area.

In 2001, organizers of the festival moved the festival to May to have more flexibility in booking acts that normally have their own summer tour plans. Unfortunately, rainstorms drowned out the failed three-year experiment, and the festival racked up nearly a half million dollars in debt. The organizers have since moved the festival back to Father's Day weekend, the third weekend of June, and scaled down the number of acts, focusing on bigger-name headliners. 2004's festival was a success, allowing the organizers to retire some of its debt. As of February 2005, City Stages signed the Vines & Waldrep law firm as the festival's first title sponsor, changing the official name to Vines & Waldrep City Stages . However in 2006, the name changed again to "Waldrep Stewart & Kendricks, LLC City Stages Presented by Lanny Vines & Associates, LLC" .

In 2007, Fox 6 News in Birmingham reported that 2007 will be the first year City Stages has started, not in debt.

2008

City Stages' organizers announced in November 2007 that they hired AC Entertainment, one of the co-producers for the successful Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, to help produce the Birmingham festival and will advise them for the next three years. ^[1]


Also announced, the partnership will help aid the festival of eliminating a debt of $230,000 and to bring bigger acts - many who have forged relationships with Bonnaroo organizers - to the annual event. Both Bonnaroo and City Stages are held on the same weekend.

City Stages was held on June 13, 14 and 15 on Father's Day Weekend. Official attendance numbers of the festival have not been announced yet.

Lineup

Diana Ross The Flaming Lips Al Green The Roots Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals The Wailers Buddy Guy Israel & New Breed Anthony Hamilton Ledisi Galactic & Chalin 2na (of Jurassic Five) Citizen Cope Blind Melon

Martha Munizzi Sean Kingston Maze featuring Frankie Beverly Canton Jones North Mississippi Allstars Michael Franti & Spearhead Joe Bonamassa Hackensaw Boys Elizabeth Cook Toubab Krewe Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys Marc Broussard

Will Hoge Dave Barnes William Murphy Landon Pigg Monte Montgomery Michael Warren Shooter Jennings Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit Robert Earl Keen Andrew Bird Old Crow Medicine Show Ingrid Michaelson The Basement Birmingham Community Mass Choir

Comments about City Stages

• "...the best music festival you've never heard of" --Chicago Sun-Times
• "...the best such event this side of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival" --Atlanta Journal-Constitution

References

1. Bonnaroo firm hired to boost Birmingham festival - USATODAY.com