WashU’s backyard is hosting a music festival. No, WILD has not come eight months early. Rather, on Sept. 28 and 29, Evolution Festival will be hosting its second annual festival in Forest Park. Last year, the festival hosted over 25,000 concert-goers. 

Evolution Festival is a highly curated collection of heavy-hitting musical acts. Headlining the festival is The Killers — you almost certainly know their hit song “Mr. Brightside.” They just came off of their headlining gig at Lollapalooza. Beck, who has been a hit artist for over 30 years, combining genres in songs like “Loser,” makes up the other half of headliners. The supporting acts are just as recognizable, with rock legends like Billy Idol, Jane’s Addiction, and Nile Rodgers (who you definitely know from his hit song with Pharrell and from Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”). Rounding out the lineup are country gem Elle King, known for her hit “Ex’s and Oh’s,” and generational voice and activist, Killer Mike. 

Hosted in Langenberg Field in Forest Park — near the tennis courts and the Missouri Natural History Museum — Evolution Festival is by far the closest music festival to campus. Outside WILD and shows at the Pageant, Blueberry Hill, and Delmar Hall, it is also the closest elite artists like the ones listed above will come to the WashU area. 

For those wondering how to get to the festival, from the South 40 and the Village, the venue is about a 40-minute walk away. It is easy to do on foot or by scooter — or, if you’re really not in the mood to walk, a quick Uber can get you there. Alternative ways to get to the festival include taking the train to and from University City Big Bend station (or Skinker depending on where you live) to the Forest Park-DeBaliviere station, which is a five-minute walk to the Festival. Students can also take the Campus Circulator to the east end of campus and then walk about 20 minutes to the festival. For the busy student: You can work in the morning, leave your bags on campus (in a building where you have after-hours swipe access) and walk to the festival, then grab your bags on the way home. 

Tickets for the festival can be found here, and start at $225 for the weekend and $136 for a single day. You can save money by buying tickets in groups of four. A four-pack of tickets costs $213 per ticket for the weekend and $107 for a single day.