Indigo Girls, Matt Nathanson to headline Hopefest

Carolina Hopefest is returning to Booth Amphitheatre on September 27 to raise money and awareness for Beacon of Hope, a non-profit organization in Nairobi, Kenya that was created in 2001 to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic and its affects among women in poor communities.

This year's show will feature returning headliners the Indigo Girls as well as Matt Nathanson. The Indigo Girls headlined the first Hopefest back in 2006. At least one more act is expected to be announced for this year's show. We'll keep you posted on who that will be.

Performers for 4th HopeFest announced

Organizers of Carolina HopeFest have announced the first few artists for this year's event, to be held Saturday, August 30, at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary.

Colbie Caillat, Edwin McCain, Raleighite Thad Cockrell and Alli Rogers are all scheduled to perform. We'll keep you posted as additional performers are announced. Tickets are available now through Ticketmaster and the venue box office.

We've gone to this event the past couple of years and had a really good time. Not only is it a fun day full of music from both local and national acts, they put the show on for an incredibly worthy cause.

The event raises money for Beacon of Hope, a group based out of Nairobi, Kenya, that helps women and girls affected by AIDS learn skills that allow them to make money and support themselves and their families. Items made by women at Beacon of Hope, including beautiful woven handbags and rugs, are available for sale at the event.

HopeFest raises money, voices for Africa

I swear I’m not being disingenuous when I say I’ve never quite enjoyed an outdoor festival as much as I did HopeFest last weekend.

The annual event was held Sunday afternoon at Booth Amphitheatre in Cary.

HopeFest, in its third year, raises money for Beacon of Hope, a group based out of Nairobi, Kenya, that helps women and girls affected by AIDS learn skills that allow them to make money and support themselves and their families.

Last year’s HopeFest raised $25,000, enough for Beacon of Hope to build a new health clinic. I’m not sure how much this year’s festival raised, but one of the organizers told me that before gates even opened for the day, they had about $12,000 to send over to Beacon.

But of course, HopeFest isn’t just about the cause. Okay, well it is, but there’s some great music, too.

Mavuno, a group from Kenya, performed a lively set early in the evening that had most of the crowd on their feet and dancing. Local native turned Nashvillian Thad Cockrell followed, playing songs off his brand new EP, To Be Loved.

This year’s concert was headlined by Glen Phillips, someone everyone’s heard of though his past work with Toad the Wet Sprocket. Phillips played some of his bigger songs from that band (“All I Want,” “Walk on the Ocean”) but he also played some of his more recent material, including two songs (“Windmills,” “Come a Time”) off an album he recorded as the Mutual Admiration Society with Nickel Creek and two freshly-penned songs Phillips said will appear on a forthcoming album.

The crowd was small but mighty, and Phillips treated the faithful by coming out for a special encore. Standing on the steps of the stage Phillips played handful of songs as the crowd stood close and sang along. Undoubtedly the perfect ending to a perfect day.

HopeFest goes free, drops two headliners

Organizers for Carolina HopeFest announced today that the show this Sunday at Booth Amphitheatre will be free. On the down side, Mat Kearney and Marc Cohn are no longer on the bill. Glen Phillips, who had been third runner up, will now headline.

The goal of HopeFest has been to raise money for Beacon of Hope, a group in Kenya that gives assistance to women with AIDS.

"We felt that we wanted to draw as big a crowd as possible in order to maximize awareness of the challenge in Africa," Jana Piepenbring, director of Carolina Hope, said in a statement. "It became obvious that the best way to do that would be to take some bold steps. Fortunately, because of the generosity of our presenting sponsor Lenovo, we are able to make this year's festival a free event and still make a meaningful contribution to the charity."

No word if the times on the schedule will change, but I'll let you guys know if I hear anything.

Mat Kearney to headline Carolina HopeFest

Carolina HopeFest, a concert raising money to fight AIDS in Africa, has announced its lineup.

Mat Kearney, Marc Cohn and Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket) are the big names at this year's show. Other artists include local favorite Thad Cockrell, Dereck Webb, Sandra McCracken and Mavuno (from Nairobi, Kenya).

HopeFest will be Sunday, Sept. 20 at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. Tickets are $35 for reserved seats, $20 for lawn and $10 for students, and will go on sale Aug. 25 through Ticketmaster and the venue box office.