Written by Patrick McNamara

Treefort Music Fest is my favorite music festival. Imagine a more chill SXSW with less annoying branding but just as many good bands (I saw 22 in three days out of the 420+) in a pretty city that seems, from a visitor's perspective anyway, to go out of its way to support it. Where the music is good, the venues are cool (there were 52 of them!), the show-goers are enthusiastic and considerate and the knowledgeable staff are helpful and kind. Where is this, heaven? Close.

For the last 13 years, this fest has happened every spring on the clean streets of beautiful downtown Boise and in a pretty park (Julia Davis Park) with plenty of grass and, yes, lots of nice trees. Perhaps you've been to this. If you have, I bet you've returned, or at least you've wanted to. I have been to Treefort several times (braggy!) and have seen this festival grow from a flourishing sapling into a rock solid ponderosa pine (or your favorite tree).

Word is around 17,000 people came through each day of the fest this year and the 5-day passes sold out, so it's not like I'm the only one who is hip to what's happening here. And what's happening here is a music festival success story.

You should come next year.