JerryFest finally filled Columbia's Five Points neighborhood with live music, food trucks and tie-dye on Sunday, more than a month after organizers originally planned to hold it. The free festival, a long-running tribute to Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia, had been set for October 4 before concerns about inclement weather pushed it back to November 8.
Why the Festival Got Bumped a Month
Organizers made the call to reschedule because of the threat of bad weather, according to Who's On The Move. Five Points Association executive director Heather McDonald said the safety and experience of everyone involved had to come first, stating that “the safety and experience of our festival attendees, musicians, vendors and staff always comes first.” The event was presented jointly by the Five Points Association and longtime Columbia head shop Loose Lucy's, running from noon to 8 p.m. throughout the neighborhood, as WLTX reported.
The rescheduled lineup leaned heavily on local jam bands. Per herecolumbia.com's rundown of the day, Mother of Twins opened the main stage at noon, followed by Stillhouse at 2 p.m. and TenMileRide at 4 p.m., with headliner JGBCB closing the night from 6 to 8. Between those sets, BOMA was slated to keep the music going on the Loose Lucy's Local Stage.
Vendors, Food and Family Activities Rounded Out the Day
Shoppers browsing the festival grounds could find Honey Creek Pottery, Reba's Dancing Dyes, Grateful Fred and Zosh Gift Shop among the vendors, while Barn Bites, Cosmic Charlies Grateful Grill and Kona Ice handled the food side, according to the same herecolumbia.com report. Organizers asked attendees to leave pets at home, with an exception made only for service animals.
A Tradition With Roots Going Back More Than Two Decades
JerryFest got its start more than 20 years ago as a celebration of Jerry Garcia's life and music, and the festival has deep ties to the Five Points business that still co-presents it today. Loose Lucy's started the celebration more than 25 years ago before its owners transferred it to the Five Points Association in 2014, a handoff that drew more than 500 attendees in its first year under the association's stewardship, according to herecolumbia.com's account of the festival's history.
The event has grown steadily since then. It expanded its footprint in 2018 to include the 2000 block of Greene Street, and organizers added a second stage along with the Lil' Hippie Corner — offering crafts and face painting for kids — in 2023. By 2021, the festival had swelled to roughly 1,800 attendees, according to a report from ColaDaily, though no attendance figure has been verified for this year's gathering.
