Music Festival Celebrating Feminine Energy Powered by Feminine Energy
Doll Fest, is a new music festival, coming to the Bay Area that premieres on March 1-2, 2025, at Cornerstone Craft Beer & Live Music in Downtown Berkeley. Following in the footsteps of several all-femme music festivals of the past, Doll Fest is also powered by an all femme DIY volunteer staff with intern opportunities to help build a community as well. You can stay updated through Instagram @dollfest and the website at dollfest.net, such as finding out when pre-ticket sales go live in the next few weeks. Tickets will be $50 for each day or $85 for both days of the festival.
I had an idea one day in early 2024 after noticing there were no all femme fronted music festivals in America at the moment, and there hadn’t been in quite a long time. I wanted the name of the festival to be very neutral in the ideas of femme, as there isn’t just one singular definition of what ‘femme’ means. Hence, the name Doll Fest came to mind, and it would be an entire group of phenomenally talented women on the team as well as the production team, runners, day of team, sound, and stage crew.
March 1st is a Punk/Punk Adjacent Day as the structure behind Doll Fest’s mission is fueled by the punk culture and mission, which of course falls under a few other genres as well and wanted to incorporate a few others. March 2nd is nicknamed Sway & Skream for it is structured a little differently. Sunday you have essentially two shows in one day. The first half is a little more chill with music that makes you want to sway those hips back and forth with some ska and ska/cumbia adjacent bands with an opener, supporting bands and then a headliner. After the ska headliner, there is a 30-minute break, and the structure repeats itself but turns into a total skream show with all hardcore and anarco hardcore punk bands to end the night with once again, an opener, supporting bands, and a headliner. So the biggest question. Who is playing?
Dog Party-Photo courtesy of Kevin Gomes Jr
Since we wanted to shine more light on local Bay Area bands and have an extra celebration for the adults, we put together a Pre-Fest the night before for February 28, 2025, at the Ivy Room in Albany, CA; a woman- and queer-owned bar and venue space. We are over the moon to have sister duo Dog Party headlining the Doll Fest Pre Fest Party! This duo have been local legends touring the country together for years and have created a sound that makes you think, “Wait, there are only two people in this band!?” Plus their smiles on stage and lyrics simply shine! The Pre Fest Party is going to be a blast to kick off the weekend! Tickets will be separately sold on Ivy Room’s website at ivyroom.com
Ansible: Photo courtesy of the band
Local favorite East Bay band, Ansible proves that fast, hard sound is in and here to stay. With politically charged lyrics, hardcore thrash punk screams out about surviving the existential hellscape that is late capitalism. Not only are they politically sound, but bassist, Jam (he/they) founded leftist zine, books and pamphlets, That Astonishingly There is AN Alternative nicknamed Tatiana.Distro which can be found on Instagram or on free tables at local Bay Area shows, which shares their alignment with the mission of Doll Fest.
(Note that every band doesn’t have to have extra curricular activities to showcase themselves, I just like to add fun anecdotes for the people to get to know the bands!)
Furthermore, Ansible continues to shine and reiterate why they are one of the best bands in the bay. And not to mention being absolute gems. We are thrilled to bring them onto our first roster for Doll Fest, because this will certainly not be a one and done show!
Elephant Walk: Photo courtesy of the band
Hardcore band, Elephant Walk: has also been making a strong statement musically in the Pacific Northwest and now along the West Coast with their fast and hard sounds, but more importantly, singing about trans rights with each member being trans. Now more than ever, trans humans are safest, yet more vulnerable. Doll Fest made a promise to all marginalized groups that the festival would be a safe space and we intend to keep it that way.
Luna Rain, famed in the Pacific Northwest for being a musician’s musician; singing while drumming in Elephant Walk, (although they will be bringing in a drummer so she can focus on just lyrics) and playing other instruments in her other bands, as it is rumored she is in about five at all times. She drips talent and continually plays in all ages venues to help showcase, along with her bandmates, to young people that you can be yourself. Knowing Doll Fest would be all ages, they were a band I knew I wanted to bring onto the festival roster, not to mention, Elephant Walk blew away the crowds on their recent West Coast tour.
Stop the Presses: Photo courtesy of AndiChirst
Stop The Presses shakes it up (and will make you want to shake that thang!) in Brooklyn, New York. With their fun delivery of an incredible mix between traditional ska and reggae music with pop hooks; also think new wave style with a little punk rock sass and British 2-Tone splashes thrown in the mix, you don’t want to Stop Their Presses. Like any typical Ska band, they have closer to 10 members than three who always bring their sound to the concert halls of the East Coast and various Ska festivals. We decided it was time to bring them back to the West Coast and are very excited to do so. They will be playing along with some other full-membered ska bands, but we can’t reveal too much yet, so stay tuned!
The Iron Roses: Photo courtesy of Ben Trivett
Wanting to bring more East Coast bands to the other side, joyful punk band The Iron Roses was an easy yes. Fronted by the legendary Nat Gray (she/they) and Becky Fontaine (she/her), the definition of fun band has begun to make a statement with their impact in the marginalized communities; queer adults/kids and feminine beings. The duo’s stage presence is truly unmatched, and they make you want to mosh, sing, and dance in one place all at the same time. I don’t know any other band that makes someone want to do that. Becky and Nat are two of the loveliest people in the music scene, are so humble, and are very open about who they are as people, and their friendship and support of one another is breathtaking.
A big teaser question of who are the headliners? Well, here you go, Folx, Bay Area Legends Tsunami Bomb will be headlining March 1st. Tsunami Bomb has been a staple in the Bay Area punk scene, gracefully fowling in the footsteps of legendary Riot Grrrl bands that came before them. With Tsunami Bomb being East Bay’s local sweetheart and Dominic Davi’s (he/him) brainchild, it was an easy yes to have them as Day One’s headlining act to represent the mission of Doll Fest. I’m not joking, Dominic is literally the nicest man I have met in my life, and is a true ally to anyone that comes into contact with him. It is very obvious that he and his bandmates surround themselves with others who embody the mission we showcase. Full announcement of the lineup will be on December 1st.
Tsunami Bomb: Photo courtesy of Niki Pretti Photography
The weekend of Doll Fest will be a place of friendship, love and safety. Now in particular is a time that femmes need that solace of unity; comm(unity). Today’s times are now both the best and worst time to be feminine for the world is both regressing and progressing. We wanted to create something fun that would benefit the local and potentially worldwide community in order to showcase this need in a creative, welcoming space. Additionaly, the reality is that after the affects of Covid-19, people are still facing mental health and social issues due to our worlds being so shaken up. We believe wholeheartedly that we can bring people together again to feel that sense of unity once again in a weekend of fun and art while supporting artists and guests that attend Doll Fest.
Our Mission Statement, “Doll Fest is a celebration of the feminine energy, friendship, and gathering together of a community in support of one another. We recognize that femme-dom is a powerhouse feeling, emotion, and revolution in action. Following the footsteps of previous incarnations of feminine fests such as Lilith Fair and She Shreds, Doll Fest aims to be the next femme-fronted music and arts festival showcasing two full days of femmes, and femme-fronted bands and artists, including pioneering bands that brought the Riot Grrl movement to life and active bands today that are paving the legacy of grrl power.
We are still battling for true equality against the archaic non-values of patriarchy, still fighting for the power over our own bodies, and still proving our worth as voices to be heard. Doll Fest intends to bring together like-minded folx who embody the true spirit of Doll Fest - through empowerment, resilience, and nurturing of communities. We are anti-homophobic, anti-transphobic, anti-racist, anti-police violence and strictly anti-fascist. Let’s rise up the dolls in March 2025!”