_{Guaranteed to be the next heavy tune hotspot, this all-new alternative music festival is bringing audiences their very own party house to live out their best lives to the soundtrack of alternative music’s fiercest frontrunners.}

_{RISEFEST will have capacity for 2,000 people across two impressive stages, and plans to bring together a diverse set of genres and communities under one roof. With a boatload of awesome acts still to be announced, this pioneering event in Newcastle will be headlined by the legendary Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes at Northumbria University Students Union, whose melting pot of punk/hardcore, indie and alternative rock has attracted a diverse and dedicated audience for years.}

_{RISEFEST is co-founded by Richard Thompson, Christopher Davidson and Ashley Horne, who also combined their love of music and party-throwing talents to create the wildly popular alternative music club night (and the festival namesake) ‘RISE’.}

_{Since the inception of RISE back in 2016, this team of music-lovers have cultivated a brand that encompasses stellar band-based music and a community spirit that survives through and because of a dedicated/loyal fan-base. RISE has always been far more than just a club night, it has been a home for those music fans who felt lost within the mainstream music/club circuit.}

_{The sense of belonging that RISE brought to the Newcastle nightlife community, has now evolved into RISEFEST. A festival that has been born out of a longing for real investment in the alternative music scene. A party to end all parties, but a festival that is here to stay, as it grows alongside its fans and artists.}

_{With two stages hosting a carefully curated line-up of alternative music’s best and brightest, RISEFEST promises to provide audiences with unreal music as well as impressive merch and food vendors. As the founders express their commitment to local/independent businesses, the festival also leaves space for an exhibition of grassroots entrepreneurial talent.}

_{Speaking ahead of the RISEFEST inaugural event, co-founder Christopher Davidson says:}

_{“The live music world is an incredibly tough nut to crack and we’ve had to work very hard to put ourselves in a position to do this. We didn’t want to just team up with a big promoter and simply hand them the reins with our name on, we like to have control over the products we put our name on too. The mantra we tend to live by comes from a classic Fleetwood Mac track ‘Go your own way’”.}

_{RISEFEST is a festival made by music lovers for music lovers, and is here to give the North East a premier live music event that they can proudly call their own.}