It’s the most wonderful time of the year in downtown Boise! Treefort Music Fest is back again and dare I say, this might be one of the best years yet! The forecast is full of sun and 60 degree days, the schedule is packed with must-see shows and the forts have a full slate of programming. Here’s everything you need to know to have an amazing week at Treefort 2024.
Change of Scenery
In 2023, Treefort Music Fest moved its Main Stage and surrounding events to Julia Davis Park. For the 2024 festival, Treefort’s main hub will once again take place in Boise’s oldest park. Within Julia Davis Park, there are two sections of the festival – a free section and a ticketed section.
In the free section, you’ll find the Box Office, Alefort, Kidfort, live music at the Bandshell, large-scale art installations, and much more. All events within the free section of the park are all ages and open to the public.
In the ticketed section, you’ll find the Treefort Main Stage, the Hideout Stage, and the new Lookout Lounge, a private space strategically positioned between Main Stage and Hideout Stage. The ticketed section of the park is open to all ages and requires a five-day, single day, or Main Stage festival pass. Kids under age 12 are free to enter with an adult passholder. Buy your pass here!
Events in Julia Davis Park will be in full swing from 2-10pm on Wednesday 3/20 – Friday 3/22, and from 12-10pm on Saturday 3/23 and Sunday 3/24.
New Venues & Events
Every year Treefort transforms a number of spaces into venues throughout downtown Boise, including existing music venues, parking lots, coffee shops, and more. With Boise’s ever changing landscape, this means each year brings new venues to explore. New venues for the 2024 festival include:
Cyclops Stage on the Grove Plaza
This year the Cyclops Stage will be located on the Grove Plaza in the heart of downtown Boise. The Cyclops Stage is a free stage, open to the public of all ages, and will have music from 1-10pm Thursday 3/22 – Saturday 3/23. In addition, local businesses will have booths set up that you can pursue and you are only a few steps from the Boise Centre East, which is home to Hackfort, Podfort, Comedyfort and Music Talks.
Space Banana
Space Banana is Boise’s newest micro-club. The 85-person capacity club features a sound system unlike any other venue in the Treasure Valley and brings in well-known DJs for electronic shows several days a week. During Treefort, Space Banana will have an indoor stage inside the venue featuring electronic DJs and an outdoor stage in the parking lot between Mad Swede Brew Hall and 10 Barrel Brewing. Both Space Banana stages are 21+ and require a festival pass to enter.
Shrine Social Club
Formerly known as El Korah Shrine, Shrine Social Club is now a year-round music venue operated by Duck Club (Treefort’s parent company). New this year, Shrine Social Club will have two venues under one roof: Shrine Social Club Ballroom and Shrine Social Club Basement. In addition, Shrine Social Club features a full bar and a small food menu from City of Good.
Shows will take place in both the Ballroom and the Basement on a staggered but overlapping schedule Wednesday 3/20 – Sunday 3/24. All Shrine Social Club shows are open to all ages and require a festival pass to enter.
Music + Movement at The Morrison Center
A very special evening of music and movement is set to take place on Saturday evening of Treefort 2024.
The evening begins with Chilean electronic duo Ciudad de Tar, followed by Boise’s dance company, music project, and film studio LED will perform its newest creation, An Arm and A Leg. The main event is an exciting collaboration between the legendary pianist and composer Patrick Watson performing live with the Boise Philharmonic, accompanied by live performances by Ballet Idaho.
Ballet Idaho commissioned The Art of Losing as a dance film created for its digital season in 2021. The concept and choreography were created by Lauren Edson of LED, in collaboration with filmmaker Quinn Wharton, and support from Frontrunner Films and The Morrison Center for the Performing Arts. For this special Treefort collaboration, Ballet Idaho will revive three dance excerpts from the film, featuring the music of Patrick Watson. This is a rare opportunity to experience Patrick Watson’s gorgeous and expansive sound embodied by Edson’s dynamic movement through the talents of the Ballet Idaho cast.
Admission for this special performance at The Morrison Center is by ticket or included with a festival pass. Festival passholders have first come, first served seating in the mezzanine. If you are a passholder and want to guarantee a seat or sit on the main floor, buy a ticket! If you do not have a festival pass, you can purchase an individual ticket. Buy tickets here!
**Bonus: Purchasing a ticket includes parking at The Morrison Center!
How to Get Around
Take the Treeline
Valley Regional Transit operates the Treeline shuttle bus service Wednesday 3/20 through Saturday 3/23. It’s a super fun and easy way to zoom from venue to venue. For the 2024 festival, there’s two Treeline buses running Wednesday 3/20 – Saturday 3/23 and will feature live performances from Treefort bands! Look for the decorated bus stops throughout downtown Boise. The bus stop for Julia Davis Park is located in front of the Idaho State Museum.
Treeline Shuttle Schedule:
Wednesday: 6pm to 11pm
Thursday: 6pm to 11pm
Friday: 6pm to 11pm
Saturday: 2pm to 11pm
Sunday: No Service
The Treeline is free for anyone (no festival wristband required!). In addition, anyone with a festival wristband can ride any regular Valley Regional Transit bus route for free during the duration of the festival. Just show the driver your wristband. Note: There is no bus service on Sundays.
Bike Around the Fest
Biking is a super fun and easy way to get around the fest, especially since Julia Davis Park is located right on the beautiful Boise Greenbelt! Boise Bicycle Project will be back with two bike parking stations in Julia Davis Park to support bike commuters during Treefort, so you shouldn’t
Walk from Venue to Venue
Explore Treefort on foot and discover even more! Who knows what you will hear, see or experience while walking in between venues in downtown Boise. If you’ve never been to Treefort, rest assured knowing that our downtown is very flat and walkable, and all the venues are just a few minutes from each other.
Carpool and Parking
Parking can be a real hassle during Treefort. If you have to drive, either opt to carpool with friends and park near downtown or utilize parking garages downtown to park for the day. Note that parking areas are for day use only, so if you plan staying out late or sippin’ on Alefort’s finest, it’s best to make other arrangements.
This year, Boise State will offer daily parking to festival goers in the Brady Garage and is $5 per day. Simply choose Treefort Music Fest when paying for parking in Brady Garage and the $5 flat rate will automatically be applied.
Accessibility at Treefort Music Fest
Treefort Music Fest strives to be accessible to all patrons and music fans. The larger venues, including Main Stage, Hideout Stage, the Bandshell, and Cyclops Stage are at ground level or have ADA access via ramp or elevator. Treefort will have an elevated ADA viewing platform at our Main Stage Area for improved views of the stage and grounds.
Due to the historic nature of the venue, only stairs are available at Reef. Treefort will do whatever they can to accommodate patrons at these locations. If you are unable to use stairs and are trying to access a show at Reef, please see a venue manager on site.
Elevator access for The Olympic Venue is located in the back entrance via the alley. Please see a venue manager at the Adelmann for elevator access.
Treefort will also have ADA parking available at Julia Davis Park. Please send an email to kevin@treefortmusicfest.com for more information or if you have any general questions.
Travel with Care at Treefort
Care for Boise
When out and about in downtown Boise, you may notice how clean our streets and sidewalks are. We want to keep it that way! Please be sure to throw away your trash, utilize recycling bins throughout the festival footprint, and visit a festival compost station for any unwanted food scraps. Treefort also does not have any single use cups at any of its bars or beverage areas. Be sure to bring or buy a 16oz steel cup to use for all your beverages.
Care for Others
Whether you’re in the mosh pit at The Shredder or standing in line outside of Shrine Social Club, please be patient and kind to those around you. The folks you meet working the door at venues are all volunteers. Please keep your cool and be kind to the employees and volunteers assisting you. They are doing their best. Plus it’s Treefort – the happiest time of the year!
Care for Yourself
We, of course, want you to have the Treefort you’ve been dreaming of, but we also want you to know your limits and make sure you’re safe. Have you drank water today? Did you remember your sunglasses? Are you wearing comfy shoes? Do you have time to grab a snack? Remember: Treefort is a marathon, not a sprint. Take care of yourself so you can enjoy the full five days of Treefort Music Fest!
Feature image credited to Treefort Music Fest/Brandon Loureiro
Marissa Lovell is a writer, reader and fresh-air seeker. She loves being outside, listening to good tunes, growing and cooking food and living a fun life. In addition to writing about Idaho adventures, Lovell writes for From Boise, a weekly newsletter about people, places, history and happenings in Boise.
Published on March 12, 2024
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