MAMMOTH returns: music, art and fun take over Newport this October

Oct. 5 will be one mammoth of a day in Newport. 

MAMMOTH Music and Arts Festival will transform Sixth Street in Newport, between Monmouth and Saratoga streets, into a free music and art festival. This is the second year the festival will take place, and organizers are excited to continue the momentum from year one.

The inaugural year was unfortunately marred by bad weather, including a hurricane that came through town, canceling events all weekend, including the Kroger Wellness festival. However, David Dalton, co-organizer of the festival and principal at The Think Shop, said that the weather cleared up just in time for MAMMOTH. 

“Despite battling all the elements and everything working against us in year one of a festival production, it worked out quite well and was very well received by the community,” said Dalton. “We heard nothing but great things from the artists and musicians.” 

The festival will feature five music stages, including two inside the Southgate House Revival music venue on Sixth Street. Dalton said, “As far as music goes, there’s all genres of music. Really, everything from rap and hip hop to country to bluegrass to jazz to blues, punk rock, literally everything.” 

The first year, Dalton said, they had around 20 artists set up to sell their wares in the fine arts area; this year, he said, they are hoping to have at least double that. The gallery will showcase a “diverse range of fine art, including paintings, pottery, textiles, poster art and more,” per the festival’s website. 

An appreciation for art is one of the reasons Dalton said he and his three other co-organizers, Morrella Raleigh, owner of Southgate House Revival, Jim Guthrie, principal at Hub + Weber and Greg Tulley, started the festival last year. 

Dalton said that back in the 90s, there used to be an arts and music festival in Newport that he and his co-founders felt the region was sorely missing. 

“So, just being fans of music and the arts, we all agreed that we needed to resurrect this festival and really showcase Newport and Northern Kentucky as this arts and entertainment district,” said Dalton. 

The festival’s mission, he said, is to “highlight the area as the premier music, arts and entertainment destination of Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati because Newport has always been an entertainment and music destination.”

One piece of the region’s history the organizers wanted to highlight is its link to the punk rock genre, which Dalton said was “heavily connected to Newport.” Specifically, a former music venue called the Jockey Club, now Wooden Cask Brewing, that he said was “well known across the county for the punk rock scene.” 

The festival is paying homage to this history with a dedicated punk stage. 

This year, MAMMOTH is doing a few different things. One of its initiatives is the “MAMMOTH Music Series,” which features a lineup of local acoustic artists to generate buzz for its return. 

Every Saturday now through September from 5 to 7 p.m. at New Riff Distilling’s The Aquifer Tasting room, there will be live music from Tracy Walker, the Whiskey Shambles Duo, Sundae Drive, Adam Flaig and more. 

“We are thrilled to partner with The Aquifer at New Riff to expand on MAMMOTH’s goal to shine a light on the immense local musical talent we have in this area,” Raleigh said in a press release. “The show schedule reflects a varied and entertaining array of local musicians and will provide the perfect accompaniment to The Aquifers’ excellent craft cocktails.”

This year, to extend the fun, Dalton said that beginning Friday, they are encouraging bars, restaurants, and other businesses along Sixth to host music and offer drink specials. 

“MAMMOTH Gives Back” is also starting this year, where they will give a portion of the money raised from the festival to arts and music programs at local schools. This year’s beneficiary is Newport Independent. 

The festival is set for noon to 8 p.m. on Oct. 5. Find more information at mammothnewport.com.