Thousands attend new music festival in Clive

CLIVE, Iowa (KCRG) -The first Greenbelt Music Festival was held on Friday and Saturday, drawing thousands of attendees to the venue located just off the Greenbelt Trail in Clive.

Clive Mayor John Edwards said the two-day festival, which took about a year of planning, is an economic windfall for the city.

“When you bring thousands of music lovers into the city, they are going to be using restaurants around the area. They will be using hotels. So, just a very positive economic impact,” Edwards said.

Edwards said the event is helping to develop a working relationship between the city and the Horizon Events Center.

“The event center has invested millions of dollars in improving the facility, making it a very attractive venue for music and other events,” Edwards said.

Like Edwards, Horizon Events Center Operations Manager Tariq Lundy is enthusiastic about the future of the festival.

“We look forward to going even bigger next year,” Lundy said.

Lundy said the first festival was a sort of test trial with the city and those who live near Greenbelt, to prove that they can host a music festival without disrupting their neighbors.

“We are here to have fun, but we’re doing this for them. We want them here, we want them celebrating with us,” Lundy said.

Lundy said the hope is for Greenbelt to become an annual music festival.

“The city is happy. The police were happy. Everyone here had a great time,” Lundy said.

The Greenbelt Music Festival is also a funding source for the efforts to revitalize the Greenbelt Trail. $5 from every ticket sold is going to the Clive Community Foundation.