Bearstock, the annual music festival put on by Quadworks, has had a long history at Mercer, going through many organizational changes and hosting a variety of successful music artists across its now 18-year-long duration.
Bearstock had its humble beginnings on Cruz Plaza in 2007, where its headliners included country artist Mat Kearney, folk rock band Sick Figures and pop rock singer Ben Deignan.
Following three years of successful shows, the festival became so popular that Quadworks decided to shift locations to the larger Tattnall Square Park, where it remained until 2020.
The schedule for these years typically included a start near noon, followed by a family-friendly show until 7 p.m., where the show and the production would turn PG-13. Artists in the years at Tattnall Square Park and since have included a variety of local and national artists.
“We’ve always tried to include the Mercer community and local bands in the festival,” said Khushi Kathiria ‘25, the vice president of programming for Quadworks.
Some notable names that have featured at Bearstock include Grammy-award-winning band Switchfoot, Grammy-nominated rapper Logic, record producer and rapper Jon Bellion, who has written for artists like Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, Grammy-award-winning and Super Bowl Halftime performer DJ Mustard and Grammy-award-winning rapper Doechii.
Bearstock has gone through a number of changes since it moved temporarily indoors, beginning in 2020 and ending last year, where it moved back to its original location, Cruz Plaza.
“Moving Bearstock outside really, really helped,” said Kathiria.
“During the Doechii Bearstock,” which took place inside Hawkins Arena in 2021, “all of the traffic control was a lot to deal with, and that really deters people from coming. When it’s outside, anyone’s allowed to go to Bearstock, which really helps,” explained Kathiria.
This year’s Bearstock is Vegas and neon themed, which helped the Bearstock committee, consisting of QuadWorks employees and Mercer Live members, choose the headlining act for this year’s performances, Neon Trees.
“We chose the theme first this time, kind of a Vegas, neon vibe, and then we were like ‘Oh, Neon Trees would be perfect for this year!’” Kaithiria said.
In addition to Neon Trees, Mercer student band Mothafunka and DJ “OHNOHEDIDNT” will be performing.
Jacob Hossler '28 is majoring in Biology with a potential English minor. In his free time he enjoys photography, writing, and playing tennis and soccer.
