SCMF expects high attendance

   With the Sun City Music Festival just a couple of days away, the anticipation to see one of the biggest music events of the year is increasing. This year, the festival will include big names like David Guetta among others and local talent. The second annual festival will be held at Ascarate Park Sept. 1-2.

“I already have my tickets and my hotel reservations, I have been waiting for this all year, especially after it was announced that David Guetta would be performing,” said psychology major Natalie Hernandez.

Evan Bailey, marketing coordinator for Disco Donnie Presents said they expect more than 10,000 people in attendance each day.

“The expectations have increased significantly due to the fact that David Guetta will be headlining the event,” Bailey said. “During the first year of the festival, it had about 30 artists in the lineup, and this year we increased it to 36, so we are definitely excited to keep growing.”

The majority of the artists performing at the festival are from all over the world, but organizers also made sure to showcase local talent.

The organizers set up a regional talent competition through the Sun City Music Festival Facebook page to allow one local deejay/producer the opportunity to perform during the festival for the first time. “It’s a great way to interact with the fans and give locals a chance to perform in a stage like this,” Bailey said.

The winner of the competition would be determined by two rounds of voting. The first round determined the 20 finalists and the second round, which is still open to Facebook users, will determine who will be in the talent lineup for the event.

DJ Statik Jumpen, a local deejay who performs in places like Phoenix participated in the first round of the competition.

“It doesn’t really matter who wins, obviously everybody that is competing wants to win, but what is important is that local artists get exposure and they can be heard,” Jumpen said. “A lot of the local deejays do it solely for the purpose of the music, not for show or fame, so it’s really cool that at least one of us will get to share our passion.” Bailey added that they expect the festival to keep growing and improving each year, but it will mostly depend on the type of response they receive from attendees.

“We have already increased the number of performers, the next improvements would be the overall production and sound and lighting. So far we have seen an increase in ticket sales from areas about 10 hours away, meaning that more and more people are going to come in from cities farther away from El Paso,” Bailey said.

The city of El Paso has been very supportive of the event, Bailey said. Events like this bring money into hotels, gas stations, airports and more, so there is a positive impact on the local economy.

“Sun City has the potential to grow and we can only expect benefits for the area,” Bailey said.

Tickets are still available for purchase at suncitymusicfestival.com. Prices start at $60 and will be raised at the door, depending on availability.

Nidia Flores may be reached at prospector@utep.edu.