WASHINGTON — Just after noon on Wednesday, D.C.'s 9:30 Club posted a collage of images from the District's beloved alternative rock event, the HFStival, along with a date and location — Sept. 21 at Nationals Park. It's been two decades since the festival went quiet, and fans are hungry for more information about the potential comeback.
Nationals Park reposted the original 9:30 Club image, but so far, there is no information about an upcoming event on the Nationals official website. The last event scheduled at the park is Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on Sept. 7.
"HFStival? When does the lineup drop? How do I stay informed?" one user asked on X. Others were excited about the possibility, despite so many years having passed.
"I can't wait to shatter my hip in the all cool dad pit. I would like my shoe back that I lost in the pit in 94. Apologies to all of the people I kicked in the head while crowd surfing in 98," said another commenter.
WUSA9 has reached out to Nationals Park and the 9:30 Club to try to get more information about what's to come.
In the '90s, the summer show brought the world’s biggest music acts to D.C.
“We had the Foo Fighters, we had The Ramones, we had Tony Bennett,” former WHFS music director and DJ Bob Waugh told WUSA9.
Waugh is one of the men behind the HFStival. For years, he spearheaded the logistics of it. He convinced hundreds of artists to make D.C. their summer music destination. Over time, bands began planning tours with a stop at RFK Stadium for the festival.
“It got to a point where bands were planning their summer tours around the HFStival,” Waugh said. “They knew they wanted to be in D.C. around Memorial Day.”
From 1993 to 2004 the HFStivals roared on. Each summer more fans came and more bands signed on. But in 2005 the radio station underwent a cataclysmic change. It was a sudden and unannounced format change. In one day, the station went from alternative rock to Latin music on 99.1 El Zol. Not long after that, HFStivals stopped as well.
Now it would appear the HFStival is ready for a revival 20 years after the last show at RFK. Further details have not yet been released, but we are keeping a close eye on what comes next.
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