The North East Art Rock Festival (NEARfest) is a three-day event “celebrating the resurgence of progressive and eclectic music in the United States and around the world.” The festival was founded in 1998 by Robert LaDuca and Chad Hutchinson and grew rapidly, which bodes well for the future of progressive music. It is currently considered by many to be the premier progressive music festival in the world.
The inaugural NEARfest took place in June 1999. NEARfests were held annually during June in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA, for the first three years. In 2002, NEARfest relocated to Trenton, New Jersey, for a couple of years. It returned to Bethlehem in July 2004, where it remains today. Rob & Chad retired following NEARfest X in June 2008 and stewardship was passed to Jim Robinson, Ray Loboda, and Kevin Feeley.
Click on the following links to view my photos of memorable NEARfest weekends from selected years:
[ 2000 | 2001 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2008 ]
This page created and maintained by Jerry McCarthy and last updated 15 July 2008.