Morgantown knows how to throw a party.
Have you heard talk of a new music festival for Morgantown? Maybe you’ve heard that it will collaborate with local businesses, appeal to college students and townies alike, and span several genres—so everyone in your friend group will be raring to attend. That would be Thaw Out WV.
Now that your curiosity has been piqued, let us paint you a picture of what to expect.
Thaw Out Musical Festival originated in the ’90s as a college party in Boone, North Carolina, to celebrate the end of winter and the arrival of spring—and to give a last hoorah before final exams. Then, in 2022, Davis Parker brought the tradition back to life, and it’s become known as Boone’s Biggest Party. And then he thought, “Why not share the fun?” and started Thaw Out Tennessee in Knoxville in 2024.
One thing led to another, Parker met Charleston native and WVU alum Alex Estep, and the pair decided Morgantown could use some thawing out come spring 2027.
“The people of West Virginia like a good party, and sometimes it’s hard to find the correct outlet for that,” says Estep. “We’re trying to build a new tradition for Morgantown and WVU students, but also West Virginia as a whole.”
The artist lineup hasn’t been announced just yet—you can look forward to casting your vote for headliners on social media—but here are the deets we have so far:
- It will be held at Mylan Park.
- It will feature genres like country, EDM, indie, and rap.
- Thaw Out Boone and Thaw Out Tennessee have featured artists like DaBaby, Ian Asher, The Gringos, and Waka Flocka Flame.
- A collaboration with WV Vintage Fest will feature vintage clothing vendors on-site.
- There will be food trucks.
- There will be amusement park rides—remember, this is an event for all ages.
Now, the party’s not until April 3, 2027—so why are we telling you about it now? Because it’s going to be way more than a one-day festival.
“This is going to be an entire year of community involvement. Everyone is getting together for different pop-ups, and we’re doing events and activations in the downtown scene, philanthropy events with sororities and fraternities, and overall involvement with the whole state of West Virginia,” explains Estep. “There’s always something to look forward to: giveaways, new announcements, surprise headlining artists, and so much more.”
And speaking of giveaways, Morgantown magazine is proud to be a sponsor of Thaw Out WV—we’ll have some tickets of our own to give away to some lucky readers, so keep an eye out for that announcement. Until then, mark your calendars for spring 2027 and stay tuned for lots of exciting things leading up to the inaugural Thaw Out WV.
“We just want everyone to get together, have a good time, and get ready for summer,” says Estep. “It’s going to be locally led and curated, but with artists you’ve been listening to for years on a national level. That’s going to be a big factor that brings tourism into our state—we want this to be on the map.”
Follow Thaw Out WV and Morgantown magazine.
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