originally published: 01/13/2020
(TEMPE, AZ) -- Arizona’s top rock station, 98KUPD, have announced rock artists Volbeat, Clutch and Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals (performing a Pantera set) will headline UFEST 2020, the radio station’s long-running annual music festival, on April 4th, 2020 at Big Surf Waterpark.
UFEST 2020, which will also feature performances from the bands Fire From The Gods, The Picturebooks and more to be announced. The radio station’s music festival will this year be filled with waterslides, beer, liquor, food vendors, an artist autograph booth, meet & greets with the artists and classic video games. The rock music festival is expected to draw more than 10,000 fans this year.
The 98KUPD/RideNOW Powersports broadcast stage will host live interviews and contests all day.
“Growing up in Arizona in the ‘80s, I can remember all the big rock bands coming through town and playing at Big Surf,” says 98KUPD Brand and Content Director Larry McFeelie. “Rockers like Tesla, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and even Pink Floyd have performed at the waterpark. So, why not bring UFEST and some current day rock acts to Big Surf!?! The weather will be perfect, the drinks will be flowing and the music will be loud! Sounds like a good UFEST to me.”
Tickets for UFEST 2020 start at just $39 plus fees. $1 from the sale of each ticket goes to benefit the United Phoenix Firefighters Charities. Two levels of VIP packages are also available, starting at $175.
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“As firefighters we unfortunately often meet people at times of tragedy, these circumstances give us a unique perspective on the needs of the community” says Director of Charities Ben Lindquist. “United Phoenix Firefighters Charities gives our firefighters the resources to give back in the communities we serve. We can’t say thank you enough to KUPD for making us the beneficiary of this year’s UFest and helping us to further our efforts in our community! We are excited to see everyone at UFest this year!”
General Admission tickets will also be available at valley Zia Records locations. For tickets and more information, click here. Big Surf Waterpark is located at 1500 North McClintock Drive in Tempe, Arizona. Parking is available on-site.
UFEST 2020 is presented by Bud Light, Sprint PCS, Ride NOW Powersports, Zia Records and the New Times. It is an all-ages events, with bar access for those with a valid ID. Doors open at 1:00pm, with music beginning at 3:00pm.
98KUPD (97.9FM) is a commercial active rock radio station. Licensed to Tempe, Arizona, the station serves the Phoenix metropolitan area. The station is owned by Hubbard Radio, a division of Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. of St. Paul, Minnesota. The radio station’s morning show, “Holmberg’s Morning Sickness,” has dominated the airwaves for the 19+ years and can be heard each weekday morning from 5:30 a.m.-10 a.m. on the FM dial at 97.9FM or via 98KUPD’s Mobile App.
COLUMNS
Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...12/18/25
"Lord have mercy; the short of it is, I originally come from Wichita, Kansas of all places," laughed Glenn Alexander. "I've been back here in the New York City/New Jersey area for a long time. I have a lot of albums out from my early life, then I took some years off and now I'm back at it; I've spent the last 17 years of my life touring with Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes and prior to that, just playing with a long list of folks who are all listed on my website and then, I have this band. They are the horn players from the Asbury Jukes, we've been together nine or ten years. Wow, I've thought about that, we've been together nine or ten years and in '26 I think it will be 10 years because our first album came out in 2016 or somewhere around there. So, yeah, I love that band, it's a great band and those horn players are world class, they've toured and worked with everybody. I'm just excited as heck because JB and I are good friends and I love what he does and his album is killin'. I love that he and I got our heads together on this, it's gonna be a fantastic night of music, I can tell you that."
