Four Winds Opens Doors for Local Bands
The all-ages weekend connects Black Hills artists with national touring acts.
The festival will take over 707 Nightlife on Friday, Aug. 21, and Saturday, Aug. 22, bringing national and regional performers together with eight acts from Rapid City and the Black Hills. Both days are all ages, and the $30 general-admission ticket covers the full weekend.
This is the third year Four Winds has been held in Rapid City. The event began as an offshoot of the larger Four Winds festival in Sioux Falls, but local organizer Mitchell Stafford sees the Rapid City edition as more than another stop on a touring schedule.
“My goal was just to try and continue bringing cool things to Rapid City to help build the music scene here,” Stafford said. “It was all about getting new connections to continue to grow the scene and provide other opportunities for our local bands to expand.”
Those opportunities depend, in part, on what happens when the doors open.
“I feel like if we can do this on a little scale and people show up and support these types of shows and festivals, the big guys will end up noticing and we will get better acts to come through here,” Stafford said.
Local Bands Strengthen the Bill
Four Winds was created in Sioux Falls to connect artists and creative communities that were often operating separately. When the festival expanded to Rapid City in 2024, Stafford described its purpose as a chance to highlight Black Hills talent that is frequently overlooked.
That local focus remains part of the festival’s identity. Eight performers on this year’s lineup are based in Rapid City or elsewhere in the Black Hills.
“Having a strong local lineup helps drive participation within the fest,” Stafford said. “A good local lineup only strengthens the national and regional acts.”
This year’s festival reaches across rock, metal, punk, reggae and hip-hop rather than staying within one corner of the local music scene. Stafford said that mix is intentional.
“We all love music,” he said. “Let’s enjoy all kinds of it together.”
The local portion of the lineup is shaped by artist availability and a willingness to help promote the festival. Stafford’s festival partner, Four Winds founder Corey Church, handles much of the national and regional booking based on available summer tours and routing.
This year, that routing also connects the Rapid City festival to Four Winds in Sioux Falls, which is being held on the same weekend. Psychostick will play Sioux Falls on Friday before performing in Rapid City on Saturday. As Cities Burn, Green Jellÿ and Go For Gold are also expected to appear at both festivals.
Stafford said the two events do not land on the same weekend every year. This year, organizers were able to bring the same package of national and regional artists to both cities, reducing costs for festivalgoers.
A Different Festival at 707
This year’s Four Winds will not have the same physical footprint as previous Rapid City editions.
The first festival spread roughly 40 performers across three stages. With only one stage available at 707, organizers had to reduce the lineup and reconsider how the weekend would work.
“We had to downshift because we aren’t able to offer multiple stages,” Stafford said. “We only have one. And that’s why we made it two days this year.”
Friday will serve as a shorter opening night built around reggae-rock. Black Hills band Camp Comfort begins at 8 p.m., followed by South Carolina touring band TreeHouse! at 9:30 p.m.
Saturday begins at 1:30 p.m. and runs through an 11 p.m. set from Green Jellÿ. The day includes As Cities Burn, Psychostick, Dot Dot Curve, From This Day Forward and Go For Gold alongside Black Hills performers including AKWRD, Half Dead & Guardian Angel, Truly Veda, Wicked Six, The Outside Kids and Fueled By Spite.
The one-stage setup creates a more concentrated festival. Instead of choosing between simultaneous performances, audiences can see each artist on the schedule. It also gives local performers access to the same room and audience as the touring headliners.
The move means there will not be an art market or vendor area at this year’s festival. Stafford said there was not enough room to accommodate vendors inside 707. Organizers have discussed adding an outdoor stage and vendor area in the parking lot next year, although several logistical questions would need to be resolved before that could happen.
Stafford can also see the festival growing beyond two days.
“We’re hoping to maybe make it a weekend experience in the future with bands all three days,” he said.
Changing Rapid City’s Reputation
For Stafford, growing Four Winds is connected to a larger goal: changing how the touring industry views Rapid City.
“We would like to see bigger national acts come through,” he said. “I think a lot of promoters have a certain taste in their mouth about the Black Hills and Rapid City in general. We are trying to change that.”
That change cannot be accomplished by organizers and performers alone. It requires an audience willing to attend an unfamiliar festival, arrive early for local acts and support the touring artists organizers hope to attract more often.
Four Winds is designed to give those audiences a reason to gather in one room, even when they come from different parts of the music scene.
“The festival is all about love, community and bringing people together,” Stafford said. “We want people to experience that in every way possible when they attend the festival, from the bands to the people who attend.”
Know Before You Go
Four Winds Music and Art Festival
Friday, Aug. 21, and Saturday, Aug. 22
707 Nightlife, 707 Mountain View Road, Rapid City
All ages
$30 general admission for both days
Friday, Aug. 21
Doors open at 7 p.m.
- Camp Comfort: 8 p.m.
- TreeHouse!: 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 22
Doors open at 1 p.m.
- Graveyard Choir: 1:30 p.m.
- Public Figure: 2:15 p.m.
- Go For Gold: 3 p.m.
- AKWRD: 3:30 p.m.
- Half Dead & Guardian Angel: 3:50 p.m.
- Truly Veda: 4:10 p.m.
- Wicked Six: 4:45 p.m.
- The Outside Kids: 5:30 p.m.
- Dot Dot Curve: 6:15 p.m.
- From This Day Forward: 7 p.m.
- Fueled By Spite: 7:45 p.m.
- As Cities Burn: 8:35 p.m.
- Psychostick: 9:40 p.m.
- Green Jellÿ: 11 p.m.
Schedules and performers are subject to change.