Atlanta’s FreakNik event will return this year as a three-day Freak World Festival. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Juvenile, 69 Boyz and 2 Live Crew are confirmed performers.
Atlanta-based production company After 9 resurrected the ‘90s tradition last year as a day-long concert held at the Cellairis Amphitheatere. The lineup boasted rap veterans like Da Brat, Project Pat, Uncle Luke, Foxy Brown and more. Due to the event’s success, After 9’s Carlos Neal was inspired to bring the festival back.
“I wanted to do it in a community where people embraced this event,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I chose the community where I grew up because I wanted the dollars to impact that community, so I wanted to do it in a predominately African American neighborhood.”
By moving the festival to the Cascade Road Driving Range in South Fulton, GA, Neal says he’ll be able to incorporate over 100 vendors and schedule 40-50 acts. Neal expects the festival to draw crowds of about 10,000 fans per day.
“Because I could only generate revenue from the ticket sales, I had to put too much pressure on the consumer to cover my costs,” he continued. “By doing this at Cascade, I can have vendors and food trucks and pass those savings down to the consumer. I’m lowering the price and adding bigger artists.”
Neal is also reportedly working with the City of South Fulton and the Atlanta Police Department to ensure festival goers’ safety throughout the event.
“These copycat events try to bring back the negative aspects of FreakNik,” he told the outlet. “It completely runs opposite to the vision I’ve created for it. Last year they caught us off guard, but not again.”
Freak World will take place over the weekend of June 19-21. Although the full lineup has not been announced yet, tickets for the event are currently on sale. Freak World Festival’s full lineup is expected to be announced in early spring.