Where is the Best Music Festival in Arkansas in March?

            Mark your calendars for the Valley of the Vapors Independent Music Festival March 14-18, the week following the South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas. This creative and very fun music festival offers great music for five days in different venues in Hot Springs. This is the 10^th year for the Music Festival and is sponsored by Low Key Arts in Hot Springs. During the last nine festivals nearly 2,000 cutting edge, internationally touring artists have performed to a combined audience of about 10,000 music lovers.

            This year, each day of the Festival is packed with performers in different venues in up close and personal settings. Music ranges from rock, punk, indie, experimental, hardcore, metal, alternative country, slamgrass to singer songwriters. The venues include Low Key Arts, Ozark Bathhouse, Maxine’s in downtown, Superior Bathhouse and the B Inn.

            Besides the music performances, the Festival hosts workshops each day with different themes including Screen Printing, Clown Town teaching basic clowning skills and the two-day Guitar Building Workshop.

            The Festival has partnered with the National Park Service for Trail Shows, which include a musician and trail guide leading a group of hikers for a one to two mile hike for an unplugged, acoustic performance. The Trail Shows are free and open to the public. Participants meet at noon at the Superior Bathhouse each day March 15-18.

            This whole Music Festival certainly piques my interest and sounds like so much fun. The music in Hot Springs is always exceptional and many of the 40 bands performing played the week before at SXSW. For more information, a schedule and ticket information, go to valleyofthevapors.com.

            If you come into Hot Springs for the Festival, during your down time, we’d love to have you come out to visit us at Diamondhead on Lake Catherine. We’re a diverse group of people who love a life of less stress and more serenity playing on the lake or golf course or in the community pool during the summer months. Give us a call at 501.520.9201 or 501.262.9310 and come out for a tour of the area. It’s a great place to live and play.