Alternating Currents Is A Free Festival in The Quad Cities!
Alternating Currents has officially released the first wave of musical artists for the 2026 festival, offering an early look at the performers set to energize Downtown Davenport, Rock Island, and Bettendorf August 13–16. It’s a pretty neat concept! Everything is FREE!
This initial drop features more than 65 artists spanning indie rock, punk, hip hop, funk, blues, jazz, metal, and genre-bending experimental sounds, reflecting the diverse creative spirit that defines the Alternating Currents experience.
Organizers are encouraging attendees to download the Alternating Currents mobile app now to begin exploring the lineup and building their plans. Fans can also stream the official Alternating Currents 2026 Spotify playlist, featuring artists from the first lineup drop and offering an early preview of the sounds shaping this year’s festival.
“This lineup reflects exactly what Alternating Currents is designed to do, creating moments of discovery and energy throughout our downtowns,” said Alisha Espey, Alternating Currents Festival Director. “We’re bringing together artists from across the country alongside some of the Quad Cities’ most exciting creative voices and inviting people to experience music in spaces that feel immersive, unexpected and uniquely local.”
First Drop Music Lineup
7Ark, Achromatic of Time, Adam Greuel & The Space Burritos, Alborn, American Devil Sound, Andrew Hoyt, Angela Meyer, Barefoot & Sunshine, BCMC, Beth Lizano Band, Big Head Mode, Black Note Graffiti, BurntMcMelbaToast, Camp Regret, Chris Otepka (of Troubled Hubble / The Heligoats), CJ Parker, CMD/LINES, Colt Ball & the Git Down, Dan Hubbard, Dodge Street Duo, Dr. Lee, Eva Kendall, The Ex-Bombers, Flabbergastor, The Forty Twos, Graveyard Choir, Hard Love, Heatbox, Heavy Quitters, Iris Marlowe, Jason Walsmith Storyteller, Jeni Grouws, Jenny Lynn Stacy, Jim Swim, Joe Policastro Trio, Jumbies, Lady Igraine, Lainey Jean, Lauren Anderson, The Lavender Project, Loess Hills, LowDown Brass Band, Matt Woods, McKinley James, Mercury’s Crown, Mo Carter & Alex Axup, Mountain Swallower, Nicole Dean, Nur-D, Panic River Band, Paxton Sherbeyn, Pretoria, Pump Action, Randall Hall, Randy Leasman, Rudy Love and the Encore, The Rumours, Stacked Like Pancakes, SUNVOLUME, Tanner Dane, The Toxhards, The Tripp Brothers, Violets, wht.rbbt.obj and Worst Impressions.
This announcement offers an early look at the 2026 music lineup, with additional music acts still to be announced alongside upcoming comedy, film, mural, and visual art programming releases– along with the full schedule information and performance times – rolling out throughout the spring and summer. There is so much to see and experience!
The 2026 festival is expected to feature more than 200 performances, screenings, exhibits, and events across four days and more than 50 venues and public spaces throughout the region.
Not only do they have an epic music lineup, but we’ve also got several films! This includes a diverse lineup of 28 independent original films spanning drama, horror, comedy, experimental, and feature categories. Free screenings will take place at The Last Picture House in Downtown Davenport.
The Last Picture House, co-founded by Quad Cities natives and Hollywood filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, serves as the festival’s primary venue, offering filmmakers and audiences an intimate setting designed by filmmakers for filmmakers. If you haven’t been, you need to check this place out! It is something special indeed.
“Independent filmmakers spend years bringing these stories to life, and we’re proud to showcase them in a venue built by people who understand that journey,” said Alisha Espey, Festival Director for Alternating Currents. “Every official selection will screen at The Last Picture House, giving filmmakers the opportunity to share their work in a world-class setting while becoming part of a larger celebration of music, comedy, film and visual art happening throughout the festival. It creates an experience that feels personal, collaborative and deeply rooted in community.”
Several selected films feature compelling regional connections and stories including Ridgeview by Davenport filmmaker Jon Gollner; Idle Little Hands, which explores the experiences of a child laborer in a Mississippi River pearl button factory; and Groundhog Gary: 6 More Weeks, a feature-length production created through the youth filmmaking organization Fresh Films.
2026 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Drama
Dryland — Marissa Vonn
Fading — Jacob LaRoque
Girl Dad — Rachael Hudson
Idle Little Hands — Stacy Barton
The Noise Within — Tavion Brooks
Our House — Alannah Swenka
Ridgeview — Jon Gollner
To Be Seen By You — Molly Franklin
To Build a Fire — Paul Petropoulos
Yesterdays & Tomorrows — Zach Jansen
Horror
Beaumont — Frank Boyd
Hells Hollow — Connor Botts
Love Knocks Twice — Jocelyn Bakacs & Lewis Rhine
The Man From the Train — Harvey Ray Gilman
Mr. Spider — Izzy Sutton
Out of Time — Christina YR Lim
Relax — Alannah Swenka
Comedy
Foresight — AJ Johnson & Declan Sibley
Get Ready — Fox Dobbins
Junk Mail — Patrick Boberg
The Lone Angler — Giselle Calderon
Rivoli — Greg Gale
Terror of the Bunnyman — Odin Keoni Jacobson
Experimental
Book of Skin — Neil Kendricks
Cold on the Inside — Jessica Dzielinski & Stu Cline
Dynamics — Teo Baehler
Features
Groundhog Gary: 6 More Weeks — Estlin Feigley
Hag — Jackie Kelly
Film descriptions and additional information about each official selection are available now at AlternatingCurrentsQC.com and in the Alternating Currents mobile app. Download the app to explore the lineup and discover the stories behind this year’s films.
Additional film festival programming, filmmaker conversations, special presentations, and live events will be announced in the coming weeks.