The Basics
What is Northside?
Northside is a ten-year-old festival founded by Northside Media Inc., taking place in Brooklyn. Programming is broken into two major components over the course of a week: Music and Innovation. There is also a heavy focus on local art!
When is Northside?
Every June!
Where is Northside?
Northside takes place in pretty much every venue, concert space, and hotel in the Williamsburg and Greenpoint neighborhoods of Brooklyn, which makes getting around from event to event nice and easy, at least by New York standards. That’s by design. We’ll be giving more details about our headquarters closer to the festival! For a running list of all other locations involved, visit the event locations page.
Why Northside?
To find your new favorite band, then see your all-time favorite band play down the block. To avoid having to go to a giant field and forego showers to immerse yourself in live music. To hear about the cutting edge of technology, design, and content by those forgetting old ways and forging new paths. To encourage yourself to think outside of the box. To shine a spotlight on the crazy talented artists making art, music, and content right in your backyard. To hang out in the coolest city in the world. To soak up Brooklyn.
How do I attend?
There are a couple different ways to attend. The best and most convenient route is to buy a festival badge. There are a few different types of badges to chose from: Music, Innovation, and Premium. (Hang tight. More info on badge types in the next question.) For the Music portion of the festival, you also have the option to buy tickets to individual shows through that show’s respective venue. (This option is not available for Innovation events.) The free outdoor shows are open to the public. To attend those, an RSVP is required for admission unless you have a Music or Premium badge. You can flash that at the door and roll in like a baller. Innovation badge-holders must still RSVP to be granted entry to the free outdoor shows.
Northside Festival is committed to providing a safe and fun space for all attendees across Innovation and Music. By attending the festival, you are not only expected to be treated in a respectable manner, but are also expected to treat others the same.
Northside Festival will not tolerate any harassment -- be it staff, attendees, bands, volunteers, speakers, or sponsors -- against any of our guests. This includes comments designed to offend and inflame around gender, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, or religion. This also includes more physical transgressions, including sustained disruption of panel events, harassing photography or recording, stalking, and inappropriate physical contact or unwelcome sexual attention. Note that if you are found to be breaking these rules, you can be expelled from the festival immediately.
If you find yourself in any of these situations or another that makes you uncomfortable, please seek out a staff member immediately.
Code of Conduct
Tickets & Badges
What does a Northside badge/wristband get me?
There are three types of credentials: Music badges (this year the "badge" will be a wristband), Innovation badges, and Premium badges. A Music wristband will grant you access to every Northside Music show taking place during the festival on a first-come, first-served basis. An Innovation Badge will grant you access to every Innovation panel and event taking place during the festival on a first-come, first-served basis. And finally, a Premium Badge will grant you access to every music show, innovation panel, and event taking place during the festival on a first-come, first-served basis. As a Northside badge-holder, you’ll be eligible for discounts with our local bar & restaurant partners. You’ll also have access to exclusive parties, happy hours, and events throughout the festival. Details on those discounts and special events will be provided pre-festival.
Why is badge admission first-come first-served?
The number of reserved spots for badges is relative to the size of the venue, so the number allowed into each event varies. We realize how much it sucks to spend money and be turned away at the door, but it’s important to realize that admission is not guaranteed. So if there’s a music show or screening or panel that you really, really want to see, we recommend either getting there early or buying an individual ticket. But even if you don’t do these things, you’ll be able to see lots of great shows, panels, and talks armed with nothing more than your badge/wristband. Music venues do honor a one-in, one-out policy, meaning if a badge-holder leaves at any point during a show and there’s another badge-holder waiting to get inside, they’ll be able to enter at that time.
Will tickets be sold to individual shows?
Tickets for Northside Music and events will be sold at the door the day of, and a number of events will have tickets on sale in advance. (If you don’t see a “buy ticket” button next to a particular band on our individual ticket page, then it’s safe to assume tickets will be sold at the door the day of that show.)
Can I buy a ticket for one or two Innovation panels?
Tickets to individual Innovation events are not sold. But, hey, think of all the learning, networking, and a-ha moments to be had by attending multiple panels, screenings, and workshops.
I’m 17-years-old and have impeccable taste in music. Can I buy a badge/wristband?
Yes you can! But! Tickets to a lot of Northside Music events are at 21+ venues. Even if you have a Music badge or Premium badge, if you’re underage, you won’t be allowed into certain venues (it’s the law.) That said, the outdoor shows are all ages, as are a handful of others. Bring the kiddos to these shows! There are also a few music venues that are 16+ or 18+. All Innovation venues are all ages.
What’s the deal with wristbands? Are those the same as badges?
Members of every band playing Northside receive a complimentary wristband to grant them access to shows, just as a Music badge would. It’s our small way of saying thanks to our talent for being awesome. If you’re not in a band playing Northside, you’re probably still awesome; that’s what the badges and tickets are for.
Ok, I bought my badge. Now what? Do I need to pick up a physical badge somewhere?
We’re excited to have you on board! Before attending any event, you need to trade in that email confirmation for your physical badge or wristband at Northside Festival Headquarters.
Festival Headquarters will be announced in 2019.
What else do I need to know about picking up my badge?
To redeem your badge each individual badge-holder must bring a photo ID. You might be asked to show ID at venues to confirm the badge you are using is yours. You can change the name on your order via Eventbrite’s help center before picking up your badge, so if one person from your group of friends/family ordered for everybody, you can make sure everyone’s set.
I don't see an email confirmation after ordering a badge!
Deep breath, we’ll make it through this together. If for some reason you don’t see a confirmation in your inbox within 24 hours of purchase, check your spam folder; it might be hiding. If you’re still coming up empty handed, click here to access the Eventbrite help center.
Getting Involved
Can my band play Northside?
Yes, maybe! Of course, the simplest way to try to play Northside is to apply through Sonicbids. However, submissions are now closed for the 2018 festival. Sonicbids is the best way to get in front of our programming team! Keep in mind, we get hundreds of emails and requests, so we're not able to respond to everyone individually. A big note: the large majority of Northside shows aren’t actually booked solely by us. While we take care of a large swath of shows, we’ve handed the reins over to our favorite industry folks to help, allowing them to hand-pick the bands who play their respective showcases. That being said, it may be worth trying to reach out to some of them and ask if you could play their show if you think you’d be a good fit. Friendly tip: Familiarize yourself with what type of bands they might book before doing so, and don’t annoy them with a million emails and phone calls.
I represent a record label/blog/record store/some entity related to music. Can I put together a showcase for Northside?
It’s definitely possible, especially if you swear to get a Buddy Holly hologram to play. Though we hesitate to make any promises, seeing as there are only so many venues in Williamsburg/Greenpoint and we already have a lot of wonderful showcase presenters on board, feel free to shoot an email to info@northsidemedia.com, and we’ll see what we can do. If not this year, there’s always next.
Are you guys looking for volunteers to work at Northside?
We are! Thank you for asking! You’re definitely one of our favorite people ever. Click here for our volunteer application and to receive more information. You’ll get a free badge for helping us out, what what.
Are press passes available?
Absolutely! Keep an eye out for the 2019 press application. Questions can be directed to press@northsidemedia.com