[dropcap]O[/dropcap]ver 40 songwriters hailing from as far away as Australia and Ireland will descend upon Mercer Street in Dripping Springs for the 4th annual Songwriters Festival, which will be held Oct. 20-22.
The event features a talented roster comprising of local, national and international acts spread across three days.
Headlining the event will be Lori McKenna, who is a two-time Grammy Award-winner and the American Country Music’s 2017 Songwriter of the Year.
Laurie Halfpenny, co-organizer of the Songwriters Festival, the fourth installment will follow the same format as in years past, which features a Nashville-style “in the round” feel across six venues in the downtown sector.
“We’re excited to present a lot of new songwriters that are coming in addition to the returning ones,” Halfpenny said.
Over 300 artists submitted to be a part of the 2017 festival; only 47 total performers were selected out of the group.
Halfpenny said whittling down the submissions was “pretty hard” as there is an “immense amount of talent out there.” Organizers don’t pay attention to where the artist is from, but prioritize on bringing in the best talent possible.
Roughly 30 of the 47 acts hail from outside the Central Texas area.
“Our goal is to present singers and songwriters that people may not have access to here,” Halfpenny said. “They come from all over the U.S.”
What the festival brings to Dripping Springs is an increase in traffic, especially on Mercer Street.
Halfpenny said the festival introduces travelers to the city, where they get to see what the downtown Drippping Springs sector is “all about.”
Revelers also enjoy the intimacy of the festival. Roughly 2,000 people made it to the 2016 event, with revelers traveling as far as New York, Pennsylvania and even Canada.
“They hope it doesn’t get as big as South by Southwest,” Halfpenny said. “They like the intimacy of meeting the songwriters, talking to them.”
WIth a successful formula, organizers said they won’t veer from it over the next few years.
“It seems to work and songwriters all want to be considered to come back next year,” Halfpenny said. “Songwriters get a lot out of it too. They work with other songwriters and hear others. It’s a great camaraderie.”
