In its inaugural year in 2023, the then-called Uptown Get Down Music Festival sold out tickets to the one-day event headlined by Afroman. With just a couple months to go until the next Get Down, the festival has expanded in many facets.

“Get Down” has grown in size, with more artists and venues this year, and in duration, spanning multiple days from June 7 to 9. The performers this year also have more monthly streams on Spotify than last year’s.

But perhaps the biggest change is the introduction of Fusions. Named in a nod to the nuclear history of the area, Fusions at this year’s festival, Tri Town Get Down 2024, will act as mini-festivals showcasing what makes the Tri-Cities what it is.

“At Tri Town Get Down, not only do atoms come together, our community comes together,” states a festival press release.

There will be six Fusions: Ferment, Food, Latin, Farm, STEM, and Industry, each included with a festival wristband.

Latin Fusion at Tri Town Get Down

It all started with Latin Fusion, an homage to the Latine community in Tri-Cities. Before the inaugural festival, founder Caleb Brown said the one thing he thought was missing from the lineup was music representing the Latine community.

A big part of the local music scene in eastern Washington is a mix of musical cultures across Latin America, including bandas, which are bands usually made of fast-paced horns and drums with the flavorings of traditional regional Mexican music. Other influences are Reggaeton — a dance genre that combines reggae rhythms with hip-hop structure and various other influences, Latin pop, and other Spanish music genres. While Brown hoped to feature musicians from these genres at Uptown Get Down last year, he couldn’t make it happen.

So this year, he brought on another staff member who could better reach our Latine musicians, Alyssa Nogales. She’s secured the lineup for the Fusion and has put together the mini-festival featuring regional bands, local vendors, and food and drinks from 3 Margaritas. There are even plans for a “spicy pepper gauntlet for the brave.”

Before this, Nogales worked in the entertainment industry. She said managing the Latin Fusion has been a growing experience. She wants to thank the festival team for believing in and supporting her through the learning process.

“The significance is not just being part of an industry I love, but it has given me the opportunity to connect with my roots,” Nogales said when asked what running the Fusion means to her. “I was always the white-xican prima in my family. I have messaged my dad throughout this whole process, double checking my Spanish grammar, and leaning back on the music he listened to in my childhood to help curate a lineup that encompasses the multi-faceted genres of the Latin culture.”

The Fusion will be family-friendly, with activities for all ages, and Latin artisan vendor booths as well as live music.

“The Tri-Cities has a vibrant Latinx community,” Nogales stated. “It’s important to give kudos to the culture that makes up a majority of our population; agriculture and migrant workers play a huge part of our history and current way of life. My desire is just to highlight what they have already created: from food to music to dance to art y más.”

Food and Ferment Fusions at the festival

Once the concept of a Fusion was cemented, Brown wanted to include more than just music, to fully showcase all the elements in the Tri-Cities. Sitting right next to the Yakima Valley, where the vast majority of the country’s hops come from, and in the Columbia Valley, which has fantastic wine grapes, Brown felt it was essential to showcase the drinks that flow in the Tri-Cities.

The Ferment Fusion recognizes the Tri-Cities’ abundant brewers, distillers, vineyards, and cideries. Like a bar crawl spanning the festival area, festival ticket holders will get a digital map of participating venues. They can check in at as many establishments as they’d like throughout the festival, enjoy the array of local options, and take advantage of any special deals.

The Food Fusion will operate similarly to the Ferment Fusion, offering a follow-along map of food options around the festival. Once you’ve seen a few bands, you can easily walk down to participating bars and restaurants and return for more music.

Both the Food and Ferment Fusions are organized by Dara Quinn, who runs and owns The Emerald of Siam. Any food or drink vendor in the festival vicinity is welcome to take part in the Fusion. Secure a spot by emailing vendors@unleashedentertainment.org.

Three more Fusions at the festival

There isn’t enough recognition for our local growers. Agriculture is a large part of eastern Washington. Our crops are used nationwide — some worldwide — and the agricultural sector constitutes much of our workforce. 

The Farmers Fusion, a unique celebration of Tri-Cities agriculture, will feature a sprawling farmers market. This market, the largest in town, will not only offer a variety of goods from local growers and vendors but also provide a full petting zoo, live music, and a family-friendly atmosphere. Sponsored by Yakima Federal Savings and Loan, the event will take place at Howard Amon Park, a perfect setting for this grand celebration of our local growers. Currently, the plan is for the Farmers Fusion to be free to attend, no festival ticket required.

Another important element of the Tri-Cities is its innovation and the contributions by leaders of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). With so many high-profile STEM opportunities here, like Hanford, PNNL, and Energy Northwest, Tri-Cities is known for its high concentration of engineers in the workforce. 

The STEM Fusion at Fuse is a testament to the innovation and contributions of our local STEM leaders. This grand science fair will feature interactive experiments, panels, workshops, a giant hack-a-thon, and even a thrilling egg drop with a $100 prize. It’s an event not to be missed, showcasing the best of our local STEM community.

The final Fusion represents the growing music scene in Tri-Cities, reemerging from its former ‘90s glory. With so many up-and-coming artists in the area, the Industry Fusion will serve as a networking event for those in the music industry, whether as an artist, or working in management, media, or other aspects. A networking event will be held at The Emerald of Siam each day of the festival, with no festival ticket requirement for access. Additionally, there will be panels at the Richland Players Theatre led by industry experts on topics like artist management, staying creative through artist blocks, and handling media coverage.

Tickets are still available online for the music festival, which sold out last year.

General admission tickets are currently $150 for a three-day pass and $75 for a single day. They get you to every stage and every Fusion. VIP tickets and after-party tickets are also available, as are deals for groups.

Karlee Van De Venter is a full-time reporter at the Tri-City Herald who contributes Arts and Entertainment coverage for Tumbleweird. Through a co-publication agreement, this content may also appear in the Herald. For more local music coverage, follow @KarleeVNews on Instagram.