LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A bowling tournament-turned-three day punk rock music festival is rocking Las Vegas again Saturday.
“We made a party,” said Shawn Stern, one of the founders of the Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival. “Anyone can bowl and you can drink while you bowl so it makes it even more fun.”
The tournament started by Stern and his brother Mark began 20 years ago. Shawn said it didn’t take long for the concept to outgrow it’s initial phase.
“We had 27 teams,” said Stern. “But it was a great party, a lot of fun, and we said ‘Oh, we’ll do this again next year.’ And the next year we sold out.”
The roster grew to 200 teams, and the brothers decided it was time to take the festival to Las Vegas. Festival director Cathy Mason organizes the event, including syncing up 42 bands at the three-stage venue.
“Most of the bands that play here, I’ve been on tour with for several years,” said Mason. “Rancid, Bad Religion, all of them.”
It’s not just the worldwide acclaimed playing the festival. Las Vegas’s own teen sibling rock sensations The Dollheads will open the Monster Energy Second Stage on Saturday. They said they plan to bring high energy to the crowd.
“There are a lot of great bands and a lot of legendary punk bands,” said Austin Avery, drummer for The Dollheads. “Just come, it’ll be a really good time.”
