Maha Festival Celebrate its 15th year with amazing performances by 15 awesome Bands.
Maha Festival capped off its 15th anniversary this past weekend, closing out its final iteration at Omaha’s Aksarben Village. Since moving to Stinson Park in 2011 the annual festival has grown alongside the community. Over 12,000 people attended the 2 day festival held on July 28th and 29th. Plans for future growth are in motion as next year the festival will be moving to Omaha’s newly renovated Heartland of America Park at The Riverfront.
This year’s Maha was a bittersweet ending to the festival’s time at the heart of Aksarben Village. It was a proper celebration with Turnstile and Big Thief headlining the event as well as 14 other local and international acts playing across 2 stages. “We really are celebrating this area and I can feel it in the air” stated Maha’s director of communications Rachel Grace.
Moving to the Riverfront is part of long-term growth plans for Maha, with sights on expanding the festival to be a multi-faceted event. “We have been steadily moving toward a model where we are incorporating things beyond music. The ultimate vision is to grow to a multi-day event that involves lots of different venues and lots of different facets of creativity. There is much more within a walkable distance downtown and there is a huge effort going into the renovation of the area. We are excited to be a part of that.” said Rachel.
As a non-profit festival sponsored by Medical Solutions, Maha has a unique feeling compared to other similar and larger sized music festivals. As soon as fans entered the gates, they were instantly welcomed by a community feeling. When asked “What sets Maha apart from other festivals” Rachel stated, “It ties in with being a non-profit, but part of our identity is the level of volunteerism. More than eight hundred people here are volunteering, and that is part of what creates this energy that you find to be such an enthusiastic and enjoyable vibe that greets you when you walk in.”. Everyone that volunteered at least 4 hours received a ticket for the festival and over 50% of the volunteers had returned from prior years. Volunteers at Maha are crucial in helping the festival receive Zero Waste designation. To achieve this Maha recycles or composts more than 90% of its waste. During the 2023 event, 2,543 pounds of waste generated on-site — 94% of the total figure of 2,688 — was diverted from a landfill.
Maha is a staple of the Omaha community, and this is reflected with the many volunteers that are the backbone of making the festival come to life. Despite the sweltering heat and Friday’s weather evacuation, the festival felt as if it ran without flaw. The evacuation was quickly and clearly communicated prior to the dangerous thunderstorm arriving. Festivities and music resumed smoothly as soon as the storm had passed. All a massive testament to the dedication and hard work of the staff and volunteers who are truly passionate about this festival.
When it comes to providing a standout experience year after year Maha keeps a close ear to what local music fans desire from the festival. “We engage the community as much as we possibly to hear what the needs are. That's what part of being a non-profit means, making sure you are filling a need in the community, and we do that. We do a lot of community listening, surveying, and a lot of research to make sure we are doing what we can.”
Although there are a countless number of music festivals across the nation and many in bigger markets, Maha does not need to fight to hold a place in the music world. Omaha has a music scene recognized worldwide with Saddle Creek records and the amazing venues that attract touring acts from across the world. The city of Omaha lets the music and scene speak for itself. “As a culture we are a little humble and modest here, and great music is great music. It is not always tied to a geographic place, it’s cool to be known for what you do and not where you are from.” Stated Rachel.
The local music scene was on full display this weekend with one-third of the artists performing at Maha being made up of bands being from Omaha. Unlike larger national festivals where local acts would be isolated to a small side stage at Maha local artists shared the same stage as massive touring acts. As well as amazing music Maha brought a variety of experiences and community engagement to the festival with comedy, poetry, local artisan vendors, mental health resources and 19 nonprofit lead activities spread out through the festival grounds.
Maha is a festival put on by an amazing group of music lovers that have created a platform to spotlight local music as well as bring national touring acts to the community that many might not get the chance to see perform otherwise. Over the past 15 years that passion and community input has fused to produce one of the most unique and enjoyable music festival experiences one could ask for. With so many plans on the horizon it will be exciting to see Maha’s evolution over the next 15 years.
Check out our full Maha Festival Gallery Here
