Be the change you want to see in the world

If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music. Through music we want to make a change for the kids in Getamej village. Through music we want to bring talented underground artists to the same stage for a two day festival. Through music we want to create and maintain the importance of music in Armenian culture and day to day life.

We want to make a change and we have decided to do it through music for the second year in a row. We are raising money to fund the preparations of the festival so that all further proceeds can go directly to the school.

We are a group of passionate people from different backgrounds and different countries. We have come together to continue to create something special in Armenia. River Fest.

We need your support to make it happen this year and for years to come.

With a little help from our friends

We need your help to make this happen.

We need: 

$5000 to cover all fees in the run up to the festival (so that all proceeds from ticket sales can go to the school)

$3700 for lights, sound and stage

$800  to clean up and renovate the field

$500 for flyers, posters, t-shirts, wristbands and other promotional material to make sure we get as many people coming to this festival as possible.

If we don’t reach our full goal, we will still spend it all on the materials listed above and take the rest of our costs out of ticket sales. But we don’t want to do that. We want every ticket buyer to know that their money is going directly to the school.

We could have it all

The musical talent of Armenia currently lives and breathes underground. They are not only literally underground in the pubs and bars of Armenia, but represent and reflect a counter-culture which is growing and maturing. 

The bands that play in the pubs and bars of Armenia are a tight-knit and open minded group of people.  The Armenian underground is something that is truly rare. You can go to a band’s concert and 30-minutes later you’re enjoying a beer with them (or a glass of water). Just as quickly as you became a fan, you become a friend. 

We want to bring all these bands to one stage to really showcase the raw talent in Armenia.

So why Getamej?

‘Get’ means river, ‘mej’ means in the middle of. There is a river running through the village of Getamej. But more importantly, the author Raffi once wrote: “While the prudent stand and ponder, the fool has already crossed the river.”

This festival is just as much about the audience as it is about the musicians and the school. River Fest will be a sanctuary for the fools; for those who don’t just sit and think, they dream and do. 

Don’t stop us now

We managed to make this a success last year with a lot of last minute effort. This year we want to make it more successful and have been planning for some time.

We are a solid team doing this because we are passionate both about music and about change in Armenia.

We know we may face hurdles in the last month before the festival but we are fully prepared. Our current team includes a music student who attended the school in Getamej as a kid. Him and his friends came up with the idea of doing a festival in his village to raise funds. Him and his family are originally from Boston and even more originally from Jerusalem. But Getamej is home to them now. The rest of the team includes a human rights activist who moved from London, a finance guy who moved from Salt Lake City and a rockstar with a pretty cool beard (seriously) who came from Iran via London.  We feel we can tackle anything. We truly believe that anything is possible if we put our mind to it and we have fully committed our minds to this project.

We need someone to lean on

By donating you know that you will have impacted the music scene in Armenia. You will have also made a change in the lives of the children who attend the local school now and for future students.

Just click on the ‘Contribute Now’ button below.

Don’t forget to share this with all your friends as sharing is caring!

River Fest Armenia is waiting for you...