As you may have already heard, Music at the Intersection is going to look and feel a bit different this year… and KAF is excited about the new direction as the festival enters its fifth year. Rebranded as the MATI Festival and Conference, the popular annual festival will take place Sept 12-14, 2025, and is once again planning a diverse, roots-inspired and decades-spanning artist lineup – encompassed within an epic Midtown block party – while making some significant changes to the format and festival footprint.
Format-wise, MATI is expanding from two days to three: Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Headliner performances will take place across three Main Stages: The Big Top, The Sovereign (set to open mid-2025 at 3300 Washington Avenue) and Field Stage. The former Washington Avenue stage is being removed to create a barrier free, fully-connected Grand Center walking experience for those with tickets and without. Washington Avenue will be lined with vendors, food trucks, buskers, pop-up performances, family-friendly activities and sponsor activations for the entire community to enjoy.
Beyond the Main Stages, MATI will activate more than a dozen stages and venues throughout Grand Center and the Locust Business District, called MATI Places, offering everything from musical performances, DJ sets and poetry slams to artist workshops, industry panels and keynote speakers. The conference portion of MATI, previously held on Friday, is now part of MATI Places and spread throughout the weekend, allowing attendees to sprinkle learning, discovery – and freely exploring Midtown – into their schedule.
A new, tiered membership program allows true fans and supporters to “join the MATI Movement,” to gain special access to various events and programming while supporting the artists and community.
“This isn’t just another music festival. MATI is by St. Louis, for St. Louis,” says KAF Executive Director Chris Hansen. “It’s a microcosm of the city: all ages, races, ethnicities. No neighborhood divides. People who can afford tickets and people who can’t. All joyous. All together in the streets of Grand Center. That’s what the MATI Movement is about. It’s a way for everyday St. Louisans – who are passionate about music, who love art and culture – to be in this with us. It’s about giving a little bit more to achieve a whole lot more, together.”
For more information or to join the MATI Movement, visit matistl.org.
