We’ve had Finger Eleven, Seven-Eleven, Stranger Things Eleven, and now Treefort Eleven.

The annual five-day live music, art, and culture festival ushered in a new era of Treefort Music Fest experience. 2023 shifted the art under the trees, finding a new home for the Main Stage and many attractions in Boise, Idaho’s Julia Davis Park. The expansive new layout drew attention to how spread out the previous design was and how the new stage placement makes for an even more enjoyable experience. Instead of finding space in an open spot within the city, Treefort Music Fest intertwined itself with the reciprocal love of Boise, finding an organic balance between the city and art. The newly opened Treefort Music Hall along with the staple venues of years past showcased live events and drew crowds a plenty. Incorporating new and old, the festival has grown with the people and city.

Amongst the spectacular atmosphere of Treefort Music Fest’s beginning to a second decade, beyond the delicious food options, array of frothy adult beverages, art installments springing up all over the place, smiling crowds, Filmfort, Storyfort, Alefort, Comedyfort, Skatefort, and more was, believe it or not, a ridiculously lush lineup of amazing artist. From legendary names to indie bands from around the world there was something for everyone.  The standouts of Treefort Eleven for us were Ani DiFranco, The Heavy Heavy, Blood Lemon, Smokey Brights, Racoon Tour, Afrosonics, Tezatalks, Mightmare, The Band Ice Cream, Smoker Dad,  Ana Lete, Sheep Bridge Jumpers, Blvck Hippie, and Drugdealer. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the electrifying set from Shadow Work. Among names like Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Built to Spill, Margo Price, Delicate Steve, Guerilla Toss, The French Tips, Zeta, French Cassettes, and many more the standout set of the festival came from Celisse who, despite not being able to feel her fingers in the cold, set the park ablaze and burned the memory of the performance forever into our hearts and minds.

As Treefort Music Fest opened the book on a new era and layout, while spring and winter were quite literally fighting for dominance, the thousands in attendance surely left with a lasting memory of great music, great art, and will be back. We know we will.