“We did not expect this event to be so big,” Moab Women’s Festival organizer Teresa Herd says, while her co-organizer Toni Sicola laughs in agreement.
“We just wanted to celebrate all the women doing work in Moab, who hold the whole community up,” says Sicola. “Our town is fueled by amazing women.”
It has been just four months from that initial idea to this weekend’s full-day festival, featuring music, activities and vendors drawn from the contributions women make to local music, art, business, wellness and more.
Sicola, a local musician and entrepreneur, has played at the stage behind the Aarchway Inn multiple times with her band, Toni and the Enablers.
“It’s a great space that we’re so grateful to have, with a nice stage, grass to lay a blanket on, and a great view of the Rim,” she says. “It’s a perfect spot for this event.”
Guests can lay out blankets when the festival opens on Saturday, September 14 at 10:30 a.m., as performances and activities will run throughout the day.
The festival’s lineup includes some of the most talented female performers in the region, including recent Free Concert Series headliner Talia Keys, local act The Butch Cassidies, Sicola’s band Toni and the Enablers, and The Hattie Craven Band, who will cap the day’s events with a show at 3:50 p.m.
Between musical acts, the stage will host guided activities from Baa Hozho Breathwork Journey and a slacklining demo from Elevate Outdoors, led by Faith Dickey, the owner of the only highlining guiding company in the U.S.
The festival will also award its first ‘TrailblazHER’ Award to a local woman. Sicola and Herd said that over 27 women were nominated for the award.
In addition, local nonprofits and women-led businesses will have vendor booths to browse and food and craft cocktails will be available.
Tickets to the Moab Women’s Festival are $20 in advance at moabwomensfestival.com and $25 at the gate the day of the event. Proceeds will benefit Beacon Afterschool’s “Girls on the Run” initiative, a program that helps young girls build confidence and develop life skills.
