Mark your calendars because NEST Fest is coming back – this year on the Sept. 6 and 7 and, for the first time, it is free for anyone. Nest Fest is an event held by NAITSA that started two years ago. Each year, a variety of musicians and entertainers perform at the event as a way to welcome returning and new students to NAIT. This year, Nest Fest is featuring local cover bands, artists and a magician for the two-day event including winner of NAITSA’s Take the Stage Dylan Hanson, The Barkells, stunt magician, comedian Wes Barker and Mourning Wood. Along with the live entertainment, there will be a chance to win up to $5,000 in a Money Tunnel. There will still be the old favourites such as the inflatables, food and the beer gardens. Nest Fest will be taking place on the Quad between the CAT building and the HP Centre on NAIT’s main campus between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., with performances starting at noon on both days.
Local entertainers
This year’s performances have a strong focus on local entertainers and specifically, NAIT-grown talent. Dylan Hanson competed and ultimately won NAITSA’s Take The Stage event, a battle-of-the-bands type contest that was held this past March at The Nest. Dylan will be taking the stage at noon on Thursday to kick off the event. Edmonton-based cover band The Barkells will be closing the night out on Thursday. The Barkells are a group made up of Edmonton musicians who love to perform and are currently the house band at the Denizen Freehouse downtown.
Along with the musical acts, this year’s Nest Fest will have stunt magician and comedian Wes Barker, performing his mystical act. Barker has garnered a wide amount of recognition and fame through his YouTube videos of his stunts and his appearances on shows such as America’s Got Talent and MTV’s Greatest Party Story Ever, along with many others. His most famous appearance was the stunt he performed on Penn and Teller: Fool Us, where he joined the small group of magicians who actually managed to fool the famous magical duo. Most recently, Barker created a special for Amazon Prime titled Wes Barker: Full Frontal Magic, where he performs his signature blend of comedy and magic.
Mourning Wood on Friday
Mourning Wood will play the night out on Friday with their eclectic collection of rock covers, showcasing their talents and many years as one of Edmonton’s most well-known cover bands.
Nest Fest will have a ton of food available too, with taco-in-a-bag, jumbo hot dogs, popcorn and talkiest to choose from, and $3 Italian sodas that come in a free Ooks Life tumbler. And while you’re waiting for the performances, there will be an inflatable rock wall and obstacle course to take part in. An exciting new addition to Nest Fest will be the Money Tunnel, where students can enter a wind tunnel like contraption to try and win up to $5,000 in cash.
The admission fee will be completely absent from this years Nest Fest with entry free to all students, staff and guests. Performances will go from noon to 1 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on both Sep. 6 and 7. Nest Fest is great way to immerse yourself in the great events NAITSA puts on all throughout the year, so make sure to check it out and follow the Ooks Life social media pages to keep up to date closer to the event. Plus, it’s completely free, so there’s really no reason not to go.
