SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 13, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — The third annual LOVELOUD Festival will feature Kesha, Martin Garrix, Dan Reynolds, Tegan and Sara and Daya, among others, it was announced Wednesday.
The festival, which was was founded in 2017 by Reynolds, the lead singer of Imagine Dragons, will take place at the USANA Amphitheatre in West Valley City on Saturday, June 29, according to a news release.
LOVELOUD 2019 will also feature Grouplove, K.Flay, PVRIS and Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers. More performers are expected to be announced.
Tickets are $29.50 to $99 and proceeds will support local and national LGBTQ+ charities.
The news release said the aim of the festival is “to help ignite the vital conversation about what it means to unconditionally love, understand and support LGBTQ+ families and friends. LOVELOUD brings communities and families together to celebrate individuality and foster acceptance.”
The news release states the show date coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising.
“LOVELOUD is back again this year and stronger than ever,” said Reynolds in the prepared statement. “We are excited to celebrate our LGBTQ+ youth through music and spoken word. My hope is that they feel loved, accepted and perfect just the way they are. I invite all the political and religious leaders of Utah to join us as we show our LGBTQ+ youth that they are not just loved, but truly accepted and appreciated.”
Kesha said in the news release: “I’m truly honored and humbled to be headlining LOVELOUD this year. I stand with my talented friend Dan Reynolds and Imagine Dragons in this fight for equality. We need to make sure that all LGBTQ+ people feel accepted and supported and that families have the support that they need.”
The news release states suicides among LGBTQ+ youth are “often caused by a lack of communication or an absence of acceptance” and “is one of the most troubling issues in the community.”
The news release provided these statistics:
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. among young people ages 10 to 24 according to the Center for Disease Control.
• LGBTQ+ youth who come from families who do not accept them are more than eight times more likely to attempt suicide than those that do.
• Each episode of LGBTQ+ victimization, such as physical or verbal harassment or abuse, increases the likelihood of self-harming behavior by 2.5 times.
Last year’s event at Rice-Eccles Stadium raised more than $1 million, the release states.
Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. and are available by clicking here. More information about the LOVELOUD Festival is available here.
