Julie Joplin Magazine will host Joplin’s first ever women’s arts and music festival: JulieFest. JulieFest will be begin at 2 p.m. on Oct. 26 on the 500 block of Joplin Avenue and features multiple women’s bands and artisans.

Part of the intent for this event, according to Savanah Mandeville, founder of Julie Joplin Magazine and graduate of Missouri Southern, is to encourage aspiring female artists. 

“We want to empower women to go after their dream if they want to make music,” said Mandeville. 

Although JulieFest is an art festival showcasing female artists, Mandeville and Krystal Lambert, writer for Julie Joplin, emphasized the inclusivity of JulieFest. Both organizers expressed their hopes that men would attend this event.     

Julie Fest will feature something for everyone. Joplin Avenue will be closed in the 500 block, where artisans will set up booths to display their craft. Also, in the street will be ramps for skateboarding. 

There will be an open microphone at Blackthorn Pizza & Pub followed by a Halloween costume contest. Halloween costumes are highly encouraged at Julie Fest. 

“We really hope everyone comes out in their Halloween costume,” Mandeville said. 

Some of the bands featured are: Out of Context, Tiger Millionaire, Chloe Jacobson, Hot Missouri, The Cavves, and Karen Meat. A playlist for JulieJoplin has been created on Spotify showcasing music from some of the bands, according to Lambert and Mandeville.

For those over 21, there will be a JulieFest afterparty at the Blackthorn with yet more bands.  The afterparty will cost $5 at the door. The lineup for the afterparty will be Lousy Sue, The God Damn General Public, and Concubine. 

Lambert and Mandeville were excited to be the first to bring an event of this type to Joplin. They expressed their interest in bringing one of these events to town. They said that events similar to this are common on bigger cities of the Midwest, but have thus far been missing from the scene in downtown Joplin.