Be The People Fest — Nashville, TN
Putting Community at the Center of Our Music.
On July 11, Be The People Fest made its Nashville debut at Marathon Music Works, reimagining what a music festival can be. Free and open to the public, the festival placed local community impact partners at the center of the experience. Throughout the day, attendees were connected with organizations driving meaningful change in their communities through a “Join Fair”, while celebrating the power of music to bring people together.
Hosted by best-selling author and entrepreneur Donald Miller, the event featured inspiring remarks from Arndrea King and Martin Luther King III. The afternoon began with DJ Christy Ray setting the tone before students from the Los Angeles Academy for Artists & Music Production (LAAMP) showcased the next generation of artists. From there, Sadie Rose Van, Luke Borchelt, and the Black Awakening Choir at VCU performed “Gotta Be Us”, reflecting the spirit of the day before Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Devon Gilfillian energized the crowd ahead of Nathaniel Rateliff’s unforgettable solo headlining performance.
While their music brought people together, the Join Fair gave attendees a chance to turn that energy into something more.
Each organization’s booth at the Join Fair offered a different way to get involved with those serving Nashville every day. Some invited people to roll up their sleeves. Others sparked conversations or introduced visitors to opportunities they never knew existed.
Hands On Powered by United Way of Greater Nashville welcomed people to assemble more than 300 hygiene kits for families across Central Tennessee. Just a few steps away, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville invited attendees to sign 2x4 boards that will one day become part of future homes. By the end of the evening, more than 200 handwritten messages covered the boards, each one offering encouragement to a homeowner they may never meet.
Nearby, Blue Star Families collected more than 100 recommendations for its Welcome to the Community project while hosting a book drive for military children. At Welcome.US, more than 140 people took on a citizenship exam activity that offered a new perspective on the path many aspiring Americans take to become citizens.
Conversations continued throughout the evening at the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee booth, where people stopped to learn about the impact one caring adult can have in a young person’s life. By the end of the festival, five new Bigs had signed up for the organization’s six-to-twelve-month mentoring commitment.
Reflecting on the evening, the organization shared:
“The event on Saturday night was just joyous. We had so many fantastic conversations with folks about the importance of mentorship and so many people interested in signing up to become a Big with us.”
— Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee
Other Join Fair Partners included organizations like Millions of Conversations, Safe Families Nashville, Shower the People, and Songwriting With Soldiers — who spent the evening introducing people to their work, sharing stories, and showing how getting involved often begins with a simple conversation. Songwriting with Soldiers rounded out the floor, trading songs and stories with festivalgoers throughout the night.
“Sharing our mission, songs, and stories with new friends and community members was truly remarkable.”
— Songwriting With Soldiers
That spirit could be felt throughout Marathon Music Works all evening long. Every performance led to new conversations, and every conversation offered a new way to get involved. By the end of the evening, community wasn't happening around the festival — it had become the festival.
