Photo Gallery: SolFest RollFest rocks Columbia with bike-powered stage

The crowd was a big part of the show at the inaugural SolFest RollFest on Saturday in a way never seen before in Columbia.

The music festival at Earlewood Park, organized by Columbia’s NoMa Warehouse, focused on sustainability and was highlighted by a bike-powered stage. Volunteers (including Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott) took turns pedaling Blue Bike South Carolina stationary bikes  throughout the day to generate power for the stage as 10 bands and artists performed. 

The festival’s headliner, rock duo Illiterate Light, has been using the bike generators since 2012 as part of their ongoing commitment to sustainability.

SolFest RollFest organizer Beth Lawson, the executive director of NoMa Warehouse, heard about Illiterate Light last year from local band Homemade Haircuts, who also performed Saturday.

“They told us about Illiterate Light and their sustainability mission,” Lawson said. “We wanted to really provide a cool event in a different way for this community.”

Saturday’s festival was a zero landfill waste event. Guests brought their own containers for drink purchases and their own T-shirts to be printed on the spot with SolFest RollFest graphics, and vendors were asked to be as eco-friendly as possible.

The day also included the Rockin’ Rollin’ Bike Ride and a Kids’ Bicycle Rodeo presented by Cycle Center.

“We tell kids about bicycle safety and how the hand signals work and how to wear the helmet” before guiding them through a skills course, explained Cycle Center owner John Green.

With two stages of music, arts and crafts vendors and lots of food and drink options, the festival offered something for everyone in Earlewood Park, a spot some referred to as a hidden gem in Columbia’s North Main area.

“We really wanted to do it at Earlewood. We love our neighborhood. We want Columbia to come here,” Lawson said. “At NoMa Warehouse we're totally about the arts, whether it's visual arts or performing arts. That's just our passion and it's why we exist. We just want to focus on being sustainable in everything that we do. We love to bring people together and have fun. We do it all the time, so we just did it on a little bit bigger scale this time.”

Proceeds from the event will enable NoMa Warehouse to contribute to Sustainable Midlands and the Palmetto Cycling Coalition, both of which raise awareness and take action to improve sustainability and safe, healthy communities.

Lawson said plans are already underway to bring back SolFest RollFest in 2023. More information is available at www.SolFest-RollFest.com.