| RoSFest aka Rites of Spring Festival | |
| Genre | Art-rock, Progressive rock |
| Dates | Annually in April or May |
| Location(s) | Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Glenside, Pennsylvania. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Sarasota, Florida. |
| Years active | 2004–Present |
| Founded by | George Roldan and Tom Smith |
| Website | RoSfest |
The Rites of Spring festival or RoSfest is an annual Art-rock/Progressive rock festival taking place at the end of April or in early May.
Established in 2004, the festival was first held at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania until 2007, and then moved to the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pennsylvania for 2008 and 2009. In 2010, the festival moved to the Majestic Theater in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and in 2019, the festival moved to its current location at the Sarasota Opera House in Sarasota, Florida.
On December 26, 2020, co-founder George Roldan announced on the official RoSFest Facebook page that RoSfest would end its 16-year run as of 2020. Increasingly expensive production and travel costs, combined with tighter visa restrictions for international artists traveling to the United States, plus financial losses resulting from the cancellation of the 2020 festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic had made continuing the festival unsustainable.[1]
However, on February 1, 2021, Roldan posted a subsequent announcement stating that RoSFest would continue under new management.[2] On February 3, 2021, New management memeber annouanced. [3] On February 6, 2021 the new management announced that the 17th edition of RoSFest would take place on May 6, 7, and 8, 2022 at the Sarasota Opera House. [4] On April 18 a new announcement was made that the festival had to be rescheduled to April 15, 16, 17 2022. [5]
History
RoSFest was founded in 2004 by George Roldan and Tom Smith. The intent of the promoters was to establish a new international progressive rock festival in the United States. The inaugural three-day festival was held on April 24, 25, and 26, 2004 at the famous Colonial Theatre located in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. The RoSFest artwork since 2007 has been designed by Ed Unitsky. Through the 2019 festival, 166 different bands will have performed at the Rites of Spring Festival.
Lineups
| Date | Location | Headliners | Supporting Bands |
| April 15 -17, 2022 | Sarasota Opera House. Sarasota, Florida | Dave KerZner (USA), Jon Anderson with The Paul Green Rock Academy (US), Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew Remain in Light (US) |
Robert Berry’s 3.2 (USA), Ten Jinn (USA), Pattern-Seeking Animals (USA), Lobate Scarp (USA), Head With Wings (USA), and The Tea Club (USA) |
| May 3-5, 2019 | Sarasota Opera House. Sarasota, Florida | Martin Barre (UK), Riverside (Poland), Von Hertzian Bros (Finland) | Phideaux (US), Karmokoi (Italy), Cryptic Vision (USA), Traversier (USA), Edge of Reality (USA), Entransient(USA), Mile Marker Zero (USA) |
| May4-6,2018 | Majestic Theatre, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania | Brand X (USA), Threshold, PFM – Premiata Forneria Marconi (Italy) | District 97 (USA), Flor de Loto (Chilie), Cell 15 (USA), Perfect Beings, Barock Project (Italy), Valdez, Special Providence (Hungry) |
| May 5–7, 2017 | Majestic Theatre, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania | Moon Safari (Sweden), The Neal Morse Band (USA), Anglagård (Sweden) | Kyros (UK), The Aaron Clift Experiment (USA), Unified Past (USA), U.N.I.T dB (Australia), The Fierce and The Dead (UK), Evership (USA), Edensong (USA) |
| May 6–8, 2016 | Majestic Theatre, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania | Magic Pie (Norway), The Electric Strawbs (UK), No More Pain (USA) | Circuline (USA), Dave Kerzner (USA), Spock’s Beard (USA), Kinetic Element (USA), 3rDegree (USA), The Fringe (USA), Bent Knee (USA), Comedy Of Errors (Scotland), Zebra (USA) |
| May 1–3, 2015 | Majestic Theatre, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania | Heliopolis (USA), Spock’s Beard (USA), Fanfare (USA) | Strattman (USA), Sonus Umbra (USA), Abel Ganz (Scotland), Haken (UK), Might Could (USA), Lo-Fi Resistance (USA), Synaesthesia (UK), Glass Hammer (USA), Enchant (USA) |
| May 2–4, 2014 | Majestic Theatre, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania | Caravan (UK), Beardfish (Sweden), Collage (Poland) | Clepsydra (Switzerland), Shadow Merchant (USA), Elephants of Scotland (USA), Sound of Contact (UK), Thank You Scientist (USA), Fright Pig (USA), Red Sand (Canada), Subsignal (Germany) |
| May 3–5, 2013 | Majestic Theatre, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania | The Flower Kings (Sweden), Riverside (Poland), Shadow Gallery (USA) | Bolus (Canada), Kingcrow (Italy), Jolly (USA), Pain of Salvation (Sweden), Believe (Poland), Dream the Electric Sleep (USA), MoeTar (USA), Electric Asturias (Japan) |
| May 4–6, 2012 | Majestic Theatre, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania | Karmakanic (Sweden), IQ (UK), Agents of Mercy (Sweden) | DeeExpus (UK), The Aaron English Band (USA), Resistor (USA), Hasse Fröberg & Musical Companion (Sweden), Sanguine Hum (UK), IO Earth (UK), Discipline (USA), Trespass (USA) |
| May 20–22, 2011 | Majestic Theatre, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania | Moon Safari (Sweden), Daemonia (Italy), Quidam (Poland) | Epiicycle (USA), Tinyfish (UK), Osada Vida (Poland), Phideaux (USA), Galactic Collective (USA), Mars Hollow (USA) District 97 (USA), The Reasoning (UK) |
| April 30 – May 2, 2010 | Majestic Theatre, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania | Pendragon (UK), Magic Pie (Norway), Renaissance(UK/US) | Mystery (Canada), Gazpacho (Norway), Manning (UK), Ajalon (USA), Von Hertzen Brothers (Finland), Oblivion Sun (USA), Deexpus (UK) |
| May 1–3, 2009 | Keswick Theatre, Glenside, Pennsylvania | Nektar (UK/Germany), Lazuli (France), John Lees’ Barclay James Harvest (UK) | The Syn (UK/US), Iluvatar (USA), Silver Pipe (USA), Frost* (UK), Abigail’s Ghost (USA), Moth Vellum (USA), Mangala Vallis (Italy), Moon Safari (Sweden), Touchstone (UK) |
| May 2–4, 2008 | Keswick Theatre, Glenside, Pennsylvania | Ambrosia (USA), CIRCA: (USA), Crack The Sky (USA), Wishbone Ash (UK) | GPS (USA), RPWL (Germany), Ritual (Sweden), Blind Ego (Germany/UK), Black Bonzo (Sweden), Credo (UK) |
| April 27–29, 2007 | Colonial Theatre, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania | Starcastle (USA), Pendragon (UK), Spock’s Beard (USA) | Puppet Show (USA), Tempustry (USA), Carptree (Sweden), Galahad (UK), Rocket Scientists (USA), Magic Pie (Norway), Retroheads (Norway), Darwin’s Radio (UK) |
| April 28–30, 2006 | Colonial Theatre, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania | NEO (UK), Satellite (Poland), The Watch (Italy) | Pallas (UK), The Pineapple Thief (UK), Magic Pie (Norway), John Young (UK), Ephemeral Sun (USA), Karmakanic (Sweden), Hamadryad (Canada), Mirthrandir (USA) |
| April 27–29, 2005 | Colonial Theatre, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania | Arena (UK), Magenta (UK), The Tangent (UK) | Myriad (USA), Dennis Haley (USA), Tiles (USA), Kino (UK), Eyestrings (USA), Sylvan (Germany), Man on Fire (USA) Cryptic Vision (USA) |
| April 24–26, 2004 | Colonial Theatre, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania | Jadis (UK), RPWL (Germany), Man on Fire (USA) | Alias Eye (Germany), IZZ (USA), Orphan Project (USA)), Salem Hill (USA), Little Atlas (USA), Sonus Umbra (USA), Frogg Cafe (USA) |
- ^ George Roldan. “The Rites of Spring Festival says Goodbye, for now“. Facebook. December 29, 2020.
- ^ George Roldan. “Change We Must, to Live Again!“. Facebook. February 1, 2021.
- ^ Power of Prog. “Meet the New RoSfest Team” Internet News Blog February 3, 2021
- ^ RoSFest. “We’re Back!“. Facebook. February 6, 2021.
- ^ RoSFest. “New Dates” YouTube. April 18, 2022.