Norman Music Festival (NMF) is an annual, large, 3-day music festival in downtown
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman () is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, 3rd most populous city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,026 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the most populous city and the county seat of Clevel ...
.
Each year it highlights performances from many different
genre
Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...
s of
music
Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
. NMF encompasses approximately 12 indoor venues and 4 outdoor stages with acts performing throughout the days and nights. Founded in 2008,
it has grown to include food and art from local vendors. The festival, which is free to the public,
draws more than 70,000 visitors and generates approximately $3.5M in economic impact.
NMF takes place on the final full weekend of April, and showcases approximately 300 original material performances from a mix of Local and Internationally acclaimed acts.
Festival History: NMF was initially conceptualized in 2007 by the Norman Arts Council (NAC)
and a group of local music enthusiasts, with the inaugural festival taking place a year later in April 2008. The festival continued as a project of the NAC for 3 more years before becoming a standalone nonprofit entity in 2012. The Norman Music Alliance nonprofit produced the festival going forward, initially as a fully volunteer run entity. In 2018 the nonprofit hired a part time Executive Director and has continued as an administrated/volunteer entity since.
Festival Headliners
2008 -
The Polyphonic Spree,
Chainsaw Kittens,
British Sea Power,
The Octopus Project, plus 32 more acts.
2009 -
Of Montreal
of Montreal is an American indie pop band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontperson Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance between Barnes and a woman "of Montreal". The band is identified as part of the Elephant 6 collec ...
,
Starlight Mints,
Man Man,
Tea Leaf Green, plus 93 more acts.
2010 -
Dirty Projectors,
Leon Russell,
Electric Six
Electric Six is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Detroit in 1996. They are known for combining elements of Rock music, rock, disco, garage rock, Heavy metal music, metal, New wave music, new wave, and punk rock. Since achieving wide ...
,
The Sword, plus 217 more acts.
2011 -
The Walkmen,
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears,
Ty Segall,
Keller Williams, plus 241 more acts.
2012 -
Portugal. The Man,
Other Lives,
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey,
Hayes Carll, plus 287 more acts.
2013 -
The Joy Formidable,
Big Sam's Funky Nation,
King Khan & BBQ Show,
JD McPherson, plus 228 more acts.
2014 -
Bright Light Social Hour,
Dead Meadow
Dead Meadow is an American psychedelic rock band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1998 and currently composed of vocalist and guitarist Jason Simon and drummer Mark Laughlin. The band have released seven studio albums, two live albums, and a Peel ...
,
Diarrhea Planet,
John Moreland, plus 317 more acts.
2015 -
Ra Ra Riot,
Natalie Prass,
Lee Bains & Glory Fires,
Johnny Polygon, plus 331 more acts.
2016 -
Cloud Nothings,
Small Black,
Open Mike Eagle,
Milo (
R.A.P. Ferreira), plus 365 more acts.
2017 -
Thee Oh Sees,
Oddisee & Good Compny,
Japanese Breakfast,
Low Cut Connie plus 310 more acts.
2018 -
Tune-Yards,
Mothica,
SuunsMike Hosty plus 356 more acts.
2019 -
Beach Fossils,
Black Milk with band Nat Turner,
Omar Apollo,
Big Business
Big business involves large-scale corporate-controlled financial or business activities. As a term, it describes activities that run from "huge transactions" to the more general "doing big things". In corporate jargon, the concept is commonly ...
, plus 335 more acts.
2020 - No Festival due to
COVID
2021 - No Festival due to
COVID
2022 -
The Drums
The Drums is an American indie pop band/project from New York City. It was initially formed by Jonathan Pierce and Jacob Graham as Goat Explosion, and later added Adam Kessler and Connor Hanwick. Graham exited the band in 2016. Since then, ...
,
DIIV,
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead,
Jabee, plus 243 more acts.
2023 -
Illuminati Hotties,
Acid Mothers Temple
Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O., commonly shortened to Acid Mothers Temple or AMT, is a Japanese rock music, rock band, the core of which formed in 1995. The band is led by guitarist Kawabata Makoto and early in their career feat ...
,
Soul Glo,
Black Belt Eagle Scout, plus 256 more acts.
2024 -
Alvvays (partial festival cancellation due to high tornado risk),
Moor Mother,
Blondshell, plus 235 more acts.
2025 -
La Luz,
,
Being DeadLevitation RoomThe Mystery Lights
plus many more.
See also
* Woody Guthrie Folk Festival
* Rocklahoma
Rocklahoma is an annual 3-day hard rock and metal festival held in Pryor Creek, Oklahoma, Pryor, Oklahoma. The festival features 3 official stages, as well as many unofficial campground parties and performing acts and onsite vendors. There were ...
* Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival
* Dusk Til Dawn Blues Festival
* OK Mozart Festival
* Diversafest
* List of music festivals
A list of music festivals around the world. A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, ...
References
External links
Norman Music FestivalNorman Music Alliance nonprofit
{{Coord, 35, 13, 16, N, 97, 26, 35, W, format=dms, display=title, type:event_region:US-OK
Music festivals in Oklahoma
Tourist attractions in Cleveland County, Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma