Omaha City Wire

With a literal drum roll from longtime volunteers and stakeholders, Maha Festival announced a 2024 move to Omaha’s renovated Heartland of America Park at The RiverFront. Maha is one of the first major events to formally announce it will be held at the park.

The park, which is scheduled to open this summer, will have large green lawn space and ample room for Maha to expand its popular festival, including room for three music stages, twice as many Community Village booths, and thousands of additional guests. The 16th annual Maha Festival, presented by Medical Solutions, is scheduled for July 26 and 27, 2024. 

"The RiverFront has been designed for outdoor entertainment, perfect for concert audiences," said Mayor Jean Stothert. "The Maha festival is exactly what this beautiful public space is intended for."

The move marks a return to its roots for the festival, which started in 2009 on the Omaha riverfront. Maha moved to Aksarben Village two years later as it grew, which is where thissummer’s festival will be held on July 28 and 29, 2023. As the event evolved during the past 15 years from a traditional music festival into a multi-faceted community event, the needemerged for additional space. The renovated Heartland of America Park at The RiverFront, located east of 8th and Farnam Streets, provides the perfect opportunity while aligning with Maha’s future vision to activate a large portion of Omaha’s downtown corridor.

Maha is expected to be one of the biggest ticketed events at the new park, with an estimated 20,000 attendees over two days, including more than 900 volunteers who help make thefestival happen.

“Maha is all about bringing people together, and we have had so much fun dreaming up how we can do that with even more people in this beautiful new space at Heartland of AmericaPark,” said Maha Co-Director Rachel Grace. “We’re thankful to all our volunteers, artists, collaborators, and community members who have helped us get to this point. We know BigThief, Turnstile, and all our other 2023 artists will help us close out our time at Aksarben Village this year on a high note.”

In addition to the many new amenities offered at The RiverFront, Maha attendees will also find it easy to arrive at the event — whether on foot, scooter, bike, bus, or car. Maha is working with several transportation companies, including Metro Transit, to provide festival- goers with as many transit options as possible. The City of Omaha’s Parking & Mobility Division also ensures ample and affordable festival parking options within a few blocks, reservable via the Park Omaha mobile app.The accessibility of the new park is just part of the appeal for this partnership between Maha and The RiverFront. “Maha is a great fit for Heartland of America Park and our sharedvision of bringing people together in culturally enriching spaces,” said Kristyna Engdahl, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA), whichoperates The RiverFront.

“We love that Maha has a proven record of building community and doing it in a sustainable manner, and we can’t wait to be Maha’s new home.”

Original source can be found here.