Last year, the city held a music festival for its 150th anniversary. City spokesman Tory Brecht says, when over 30,000 people showed up, the city decided to do it again this year, and call it Mo.Live.
"It's been a priority of the mayor and the city council to show that Moline is one of the key art, entertainment, and music hubs for the entire Quad Cities and beyond, the whole region, really. And we think that the Mo.Live festival is the perfect way to showcase that."
John Deere is sponsoring the event, and hosting two Iowa-based musicians Thursday night at the John Deere Pavillion.
On Friday night, Mercado on 5th will host a night of Latin music in the parking lot of the Vibrant Arena. Then on Saturday, at the Vibrant Arena parking lot, music starts at noon.
Mo.Live will feature more than 20 musical performances, from touring bands, like The Main Squeeze, to local ensembles, like the Crooked Cactus Band.
And Brecht says, the festivities won’t end there.
"This year, we've added in a 5K race, our Crimestoppers 5K will be Saturday morning, and then also our super popular Touch-A-Truck. Then we're doing a Mo Arts Walk this year, where downtown establishments will actually have art and artists in their locations."
There will be food and drink vendors.
Mo.Live is free. The full line-up is online at molinelive.com.
