Appaloosa Music Festival

While not too far off from PA, the Appaloosa Roots Music Festival took place in Front Royal, Virginia this summer and welcomed and extremely diverse lineup.

The Appaloosa music festival was once again hosted by Scythian this year and welcomed an arrangement of bands from all over the country. With groups ranging from down the street and all the way from Boston, this year’s lineup was absolutely one of a kind. The two day festival started strong at around noon with alternating stages and a strong amount of accompanying vendors to explore throughout the day. The front lawn found itself full be around 3:00pm despite the fact the show would continue all way until 10:00 that night. With the lineup of day one containing groups focused more on the festival’s roots elements, a surprising amount of folk and rock were still seen from groups like “The Dan James Band” and “Catfish in the Sky”.

To further the family focused elements of the festival, Appaloosa had constructed a fun way to keep the younger audience engaged with the artists. For some artists, after they hit the mainstage they could be found a a personal tent near the other side of the festival grounds where they would teach volunteers about what went into their performances and give them a chance to practice elements that they incorporate into their shows. Every wave of these workshops had a full tent with eager kids getting to interact with the artists they just saw perform on a personal level.

To further the age involvement range, Scythian themselves came out early under their alias of Cake for dinner to perform as a child focused band. Early on in the day they took the east stage to keep audience participation at a high with their own original songs mixed into poems to keep the pacing different. After their conclusion the rest of the acts for the day continued and managed to consistently build more and more people towards the main stage in anticipation for the larger performances at the end of the night. Scythian perfectly took control of the crowds pent up energy with their own level of excitement to match what the crowd had been waiting for. People jumping in the crowd, waves on hands flying upwards, and a pulse on stage that completely blended all members of the band together. With night one complete, festival goers turned into their cabins and campsites to wake up and do it all again on Day 2.

After walking back from the local festival campgrounds less than a quarter mile from the main stage, busy volunteers are already seen working and resetting for the second day of the performances. While some bands got to have a second set on Day 2, it was still mostly comprised of original performances from new artists like “Screaming Orphans” who took the main stage second to last before Scythian’s second closing setlist. The greatest thing building anticipation throughout Day 2 was the fact that considerably more people made their way to the main lawn, much earlier than the previous day had brought in it’s crowd of fans. As the sun went down and the stage lighting became more prominent, the crowds exactment once again became so much more apparent, with people singing back and kids climbing onto their parents shoulders to get the best views possible.

And as the final setlist finished, the crowd did anything but rush home. The people stayed and showed the community that Front Royal had to offer. Unplanned by the festival, Scythian stuck around and talked to the locals about their experiences over the past two days. People loved the open discussion and stayed around an hour after expected closing to get their chance to talk face to face with the people behind the incredible festival experience they’ve had. From longtime friends to first time festival goers the conversations were natural and friendly as both the band and the fans got to find out more about what goes on in the other side’s experience.

Appaloosa 2025 was an amazing experience and the perfect two day festival for anyone looking to bring out their whole family to meet new people, hear new music, and make new memories that’ll last forever.

Photos by Tristan Reiser