The M3F festival was designed to support Phoenix charities. Now it will give back year-round
M3F is coming off its most successful year to date as it returns to Margaret T. Hance Park the weekend of March 3-4.
John Largay launched the fest, originally known and still referred to in some corners as McDowell Mountain Music Festival, in 2004 as a way for his company, Wespac Construction, to give back to the community. In 2022, it came back from a year lost to COVID-19 to raise $1.2 million for local charities, doubling the amount raised two years earlier, while breaking its attendance record.
That's important to the team behind the festival because as Warner Bailey, the festival manager, says, “The more tickets we sell, the more we can donate, which is really why we do say every ticket counts."
How M3F continues to evolve
Bailey credits the success of last year’s festival to two main factors: people wanting to come back together after being isolated due to COVID-19 and the evolving nature of the lineup from its jam-band roots to a growing emphasis on EDM and other sounds more likely to attract a younger demographic.
This year's highlights range from headlining performances by Maggie Rogers and Jamie xx to Polo & Pan, Quinn XCII, Toro y Moi, Purple Disco Machine, Ashe, COIN, Chelsea Cutler, Peach Pit, Hayden James, Neil Frances, Becky Hill and the Jungle Giants.
Those efforts at reaching a new demographic while still drawing the longtime supporters — many of whom, as Bailey says, "do it because of the charity" — have been spearheaded by a new generation of Largays.
“RJ Largay has done a fantastic job booking acts that are, we think, just on the precipice of blowing up," Bailey says.
John Largay is still very much involved, though.
“He's passionate, I'll tell you that,” Bailey says. “He loves what he does. And this festival wouldn't exist without him."
Since launching in 2004, the festival has donated a total of $4.4 million to local charities.
The record-breaking funds raised in 2022 were split between the Music Therapy Program at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Habitat for Humanity, Backline, the Artist Advocacy Foundation, United Way, Arizona Helping Hands and Saving Amy.
On the heels of last year's success, the question organizers asked themselves was: “Is there a way we can do more?”
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Beyond festival ticket sales, the M3F Fund supports the arts year round
“When we sat down last year, after the festival, the goal was to make this into more of a 365-day ecosystem, the thought being on Saturday, when the doors close, people are waiting to engage with M3F," Bailey says. "It's not just existing on those two days.”
That led to the launch of something called the M3F Fund as what Bailey calls “a separate wing” of what they do, helping nonprofit organizations that have clear objectives and a measurable way to assess their progress.
All organizations must submit a detailed plan for the requested amount of funding, including how it will be allocated along with a project timeline.
“We also want to educate our fans more about where their money's going, so transparency for us was key in reaching out to the 30-plus charities we were already working with to learn where the money was going,” Bailey says.
Each non-profit submitted a one-minute video explaining what they do, which can be viewed at M3Ffund.com.
“We felt this would give fans a better grasp of exactly where their money’s going and also how to take further action beyond just coming to the festival and donating that way,” Bailey says. “If they're interested in a certain charity, they can visit our website, learn more and get involved themselves outside of M3F.”
M3F Fest Flashback: Live updates from McDowell Mountain Music Festival in 2022
What kind of projects does the M3F Fund support in Phoenix?
M3F recently partnered with Cowtown Skateboards on a project called Boards for the Barrio, donating $10,000.
“We donated funds for them to outfit 150 kids who can't afford skateboards with skateboards, skate gear, trucks and shoes,” Bailey says. “We had an event where they could come in and exchange their skateboard.”
Another recent project found the festival donating $25,000 to create a series of murals by local artists around Phoenix.
“We worked with five local artists to supply walls as well as supplies to them to paint original murals of their own artwork and tell their stories,” Bailey says.
One of M3F’s main goals at this point is raising awareness of where the money goes when people buy those tickets.
“We're getting a message out there that people are giving back to charity when they go to this event,” Bailey says. “Whether that's their intent or not, they are giving back to the community.”
Beyond McDowell Mountain: How the M3F founder built a downtown Phoenix music festival
How to attend M3F Fest
When: 2 p.m. Friday, March 3; 1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 4.
Where: Margaret T. Hance Park, 1218 N. Second St., Phoenix.
Admission: $90 and up per day; $155 for a weekend pass.
Details: m3ffest.com.
Reach the reporter at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4495. Follow him on Twitter @EdMasley.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: M3F Fest Phoenix isn't just a concert, it's a lifeline for nonprofits
