After hearing Phish Delaware festival rumors, this fan booked a hotel, crossed his fingers

When University of Delaware graduate John Yocca first saw the rumor that the jam band Phish was bringing its first festival in almost a decade to Delaware, a phrase jumped into his mind: "Always book on rumors."

Fans know that the Phish community is deep and has tentacles that reach into the band's official orbit, sometimes leaking big news on message boards.

In this case, it came mid-August when someone posted online that Phish was going to have a four-day festival in Dover in 2024. Not only that, the exact dates of Aug. 15-18 were mentoned.

Yocca, 45, who now lives in northern New Jersey, knew he'd have to be there.

He's seen Phish 58 times, 40 of which came in just the past two years. And the band was coming to the same state as his old college stomping grounds.

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Yocca soon learned Dover hotels don't book rooms beyond one year in advance, so he dutifully waited until Aug. 15 and snagged a room for five nights at Wyndham Garden Dover, just like a large group of his friends.

Then he waited with fingers crossed, even though it wasn't too much of a gamble because there was no cancellation fee if the rumors turned out to be false.

On Tuesday when Phish posted a message for fans to save the date for Dover Aug. 15-18, it was time to celebrate.

"We felt validated," says Yocca, who plans a visit to UD's campus during his visit for a college flashback of a D.P. Dough calzone and beer at the Deer Park Tavern. "This is literally a homecoming for me."

Yocca is only one of thousands of Phish fans whose eyes lit up earlier this week at the big news: The legendary Vermont-born band with a Grateful Dead-like following would take over the Firefly Music Festival grounds for four days and nights of improvisational jams, communal camping and plenty of dancing.

First Phish festival since 2015 lands in Delaware; fans rejoice

For Delaware-based Phish fans, the announcement was almost like a mirage, even though they had all heard the same rumors. (This is a pretty plugged-in fan base if you don't already know.)

For Brandywine Hundred's Justin Knott, who has traveled up to 30 hours for some of the nearly 70 Phish shows he's seen over the years, it's like a gift.

"I feel like I can ride a bicycle to it," jokes Knott, who plays drums for popular Wilmington-based, Grateful Dead/Jerry Garcia-themed Bones Brigade. "Everybody in this tiny little Delaware community of Phish fans is ecstatic."

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Knott's first Phish show was at the age of 11 and he just had to run to social media once it was official: "I posted a roll call on Facebook to see who was going and my buddy Brian was like, "Everyone, duh."

Wilmington's Andrew Stewart, 43, was sitting at his desk at work when he saw the news online. He made a bit of a scene.

"I went crazy and everybody was like, 'What's going on?'" says Stewart, who has seen the band 100 times, including a city-hopping European tour in the late '90s. "And then I got like 100 texts from people."

Now that he knows rumor is reality, a funny feeling is sinking in as his home state is about to host his favorite band for a big-time festival.

"I'm actually nervous about it," says Stewart, who sings with local cover act Lyric Drive. "I usually travel somewhere for them and now I don't have to worry about anything. I just have butterflies for some reason."

Unlike Firefly, where nearly all the fans who arrive in Dover already have festival tickets and camping spots lined up, Phish concerts and festivals draw plenty of fans who just want to be there for the scene without too much of a plan.

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With a finger in the air, they may end up in a parking lot "looking for a miracle" ― a free or discounted pass.

"I don't know if Dover is ready for the influx of Phish fans. They are known for showing up and seeing what they can do," says Brian Turner, 47, of Wilmington, who has been attending Phish shows since the early '90s when he was a teenager.

This time around, he is the father of two sons, Milo, 14, and Felix, 10, and they just might be getting an eye and earful at The Woodlands next summer.

"They have never been to see Phish, so with the band coming to Delaware, I feel like the gods are telling me this is the time to bring them," Turner says.

What we know: 2024 Phish festival details

Phish is slow-rolling the details of the festival, not even revealing its name yet.

Instead, their "save the date" post was short and sweet: It will be held at The Woodlands near Dover Motor Speedway in Dover on Aug. 15-18 with more information about tickets and camping packages to come. Fans were asked to sign up for both email and text updates by forking over their names and contact information for future notifications.

Fans are hoping the band's 11th festival will go much more smoothly than their last attempt, dubbed Curveball in 2018.

With fans still en route, It was aborted at the last minute due to heavy rains and flooding, which also contaminated the clean water supply at Watkins Glen International raceway in upstate New York. It has taken the act five years to give it another try, this time teaming with AEG, which has previously organized the Firefly Music Festival on the Dover site.

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The last Phish festival that was successfully held came in 2015 at Watkins Glen, delivering a sprawling three-day festival that featured seven sets from the four-piece with no songs repeated.

Phish in Delaware: A brief 30-year history

Phish's Delaware history is short and long at the same time, starting three decades ago.

The act played UD's Bob Carpenter Center in the winter of 1993 before returning the next year and not coming back since. (Frontman Trey Anastasio did perform solo at The Grand in Wilmington in 2018, however.)

That means next year's festival will land on the 30th anniversary of the last time the genre-bending act wowed state fans.

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Newark's Steve Kramarck was at the 1994 show and even got to meet the band as a then-DJ for WZBH 93.5-FM, a Millsboro-based rock station that serves Ocean City, Maryland, and the rest of Delmarva.

"At the time, the [Grateful] Dead weren't completely gone yet and Phish had not yet become the heir apparent as far as jam bands go," remembers Kramarck, now associate director of University Student Centers at UD. "They had a following, but nothing like they do now."

He recalls the band put on a good show and has a hazy memory of a big beach ball bouncing through the crowd. The highlight was getting to chat with them after the show.

"Getting to know them a little was so cool. They were so down to earth," he says. "I met a lot of people through radio and they were the most chill guys I've ever spoken to backstage."

Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and X (Twitter) (@ryancormier).

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Phish to bring newest music festival to Dover in August 2024