US Virgin Fest to be free this year

Organisers of this year’s Virgin Fest in Maryland have announced that this year’s event will be a free one.

Weezer, Blink-182, Franz Ferdinand, Public Enemy and The Hold Steady are all on the lineup for the event, which typically costs $100 a day to attend.

"Times are tough and money's tight. That's why this year's Virgin Mobile FreeFest is on us. No really, we mean it," says a statement on the festival website.

Girl Talk, Jet, Mates Of State, The National, Taking Back Sunday, Wale and The Bravery will all play the August 30 event which takes place at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD.

The free tickets will be available only online via Ticketmaster.com starting this Sunday (June 27).

The company has waived its service fees, and for those who don’t want to pay delivery fees, they can pick up reserved tickets at the Merriweather Post Pavillion or the 9:30 Club box offices from August 21-28.

Organisers are asking for a $5 donation per person to youth homelessness through the Virgin Fest charity The RE*Generation.

--By our New York staff.
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