The Peacemaker Music Festival, now in its seventh year in Fort Smith, is “all about having a laid-back time enjoying the music and outdoors with your friends and family,” says Ricky Beauchamp, co-president of the event board. “Not to mention it’s also one great big party on the river — in a safe and responsible way, of course! Having one overarching genre really puts people with similar interests and personalities together to create a more uniform vibe.”
“The original vibe of the festival was to be all inclusive and ‘culturally diverse,'” says Beauchamp, “by offering multiple genres of music. Over time, the genre pool became less and less diversified.”
Now, says co-president Trent Goins, “we try to create an environment that … focuses around Americana and Red Dirt music. That said, I don’t like to define the musical genres, as we’ve had some incredible rock ‘n’ roll and jam bands play the festival. We book our artists eight to 12 months in advance and are always trying to pair acts who flow well together on stage from the opening band all the way to the headliner each night.”
