Big Fort Fest hopes to be a new summer tradition in Fort Wayne.
The festival is a new, multi-day event celebrating all things Fort Wayne, scheduled for this weekend, July 10-12, at Headwaters Park.
The aim is to revitalize summer events in the city, offering three nights of live music from national touring acts, classic and modern festival food from local food trucks, and a variety of family-friendly activities, including kids’ events and free games.
During this time during the summer is usually when the Three Rivers Festival takes place, but after the festival board filed for bankruptcy, Jake and Jes Farris stepped up.
“This was a great opportunity to write a love letter to our city and build a foundation for many years to come. We travel and see different events in cities all across the Midwest. There are so many great city and county festivals. We aim to revitalize our summer event to reach new modern standards,” Jake Farris said.
The Farris’ do this type of thing 365 days a year. They host different events, festivals, and concerts across the country. Locally, they run the Fort Wayne Tattoo Festival.
The majority of summer festivals in Fort Wayne have a theme, whether it’s Ribfest, Germanfest, or Greek Fest. And Farris recognizes that those festivals “are the threads of a tapestry, we are here to celebrate the tapestry that is Fort Wayne.”
However, they don’t celebrate anything particular about Fort Wayne. What sets Big Fort Festival apart is the name.
“Big Fort Fest is a celebration of all things Fort Wayne,” Farris said.
Across the three days, there will be a concert to cap off each evening. The acts include Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Theory of a Deadman.
With the festival being brand new, the Farris’ had to start from scratch. That did not deter them but made them dig in even more.
“It’s unreal. We could have never imagined how much work could be involved. We are a very grassroots type of people. We are hands-on. We have been so fortunate to have help from the board members over at EcoFest,” Farris said. “They’ve really stepped up as have many other community members to make sure we create an amazing event this year and for the future of our city.”
Farris sees this as the first year of hopefully a long future for the festival. They are already looking into 2026 and how they can grow and become better.
“We are looking beyond just music entertainment and are excited to find opportunities to make Big Fort Fest as open and accessible as possible to Fort Wayne,” Farris said. “We live here every day. We visit local businesses daily and eat in local restaurants. We are all-in on Fort Wayne and our ears are open. This event is here to serve the city.”
For what you can expect this weekend, you can find the details and the full schedule at https://bigfortfest.com/ or on the BFF App.
Stay tuned to the NEI Blog and our social media channels throughout the summer for more festival content!
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