A Production of the
Woodstock Chimes Fund

Since 2009, I’ve been the Executive Producer and driving force behind the Drum Boogie Festival, a free, fun, daylong music festival. The fifth biennial Drum Boogie Festival was held in Woodstock, NY on Saturday, Sept. 9^th, 2017. Several thousand people enjoyed a great day of music as eleven renowned acts, many of them GRAMMY^® Award-winners, performed international styles of percussion and dance.

Prana performs with members of NEXUS, Russell Hartenberger and Garry Kvistad, during the opening ceremony

This year, the festival opened with a performance by throat singers from the local group Prana, and members of the GRAMMY^® Award-winning percussion quartet NEXUS.

The Drum Boogie Festival is my brainchild and was spurred by numerous conversations with New York State Assembly member Kevin Cahill over a span of several years. After much encouragement from Cahill and a generous grant from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, I created a one-day event presenting performers of world drumming in many distinct forms: jazz, contemporary, ragtime, Caribbean, steel pan, Eastern, reggae and African styles.

Northeast Ghana All-Stars performing traditional African music alongside percussionist Ben Paulding

In addition to the performers, this year’s festival included several notable guests from both the music industry and the Woodstock area, who introduced the acts and heightened the crowd’s excitement. Presenters included Kevin Cahill, Tim Moore, Jack DeJohnette, Martha Frankel, Julian Lines, Dan Leader, Baird Hersey, Leslie Gerber and me.

This was the largest and most successful Drum Boogie Festival to date, drawing an estimated 4,000 people to Woodstock, NY!

Drum Boogie Festival 2019

See the Drum Boogie Festival 2019 Highlight Video!

Drum Boogie Festival^®

is a free, biennial, one-day, family-oriented, multi-cultural arts and educational event, celebrating and promoting the many styles of high quality percussion music found throughout the world. The festival strives to keep a balance of entertainment, enlightenment, excitement and equality. All performances will highlight percussion instruments and percussion performers while sometimes including other instrumentalists, dancers and singers. Garry Kvistad, founder and CEO of Woodstock Chimes^®, is a professional musician and creator / Executive Director of the Drum Boogie Festival.

Check out performances from the last festival which include many groups for the 2019 festival!

Jack DeJohnette will perform at this year’s Drum Boogie Festival, as he has done every year since our premiere event in 2009!

Jack DeJohnette

“Garry has created a unique festival that celebrates the art of percussion from the world, it has been great fun to participate in it and I really enjoy seeing, hearing and meeting such a diversity of major talent from all over. I consider it to be very successful and look forward its ongoing cultural contribution to the richness of the Town of Woodstock and the Hudson Valley.”

– Jack DeJohnette
GRAMMY^® Award-Winning Jazz Musician

Bring a lawn chair or blanket and stay for the day.

FAMILY of Woodstock will be holding their big $15,000 Raffle at the Drum Boogie Festival!

The Grand Prize Drawing for FAMILY’s Big $$$ Raffle will take place on Saturday, September 7^th, 2019 at 6:00pm at the Drum Boogie Festival.

First Prize winner will receive $15,000!

Second Place prizes include:

Cancun Paradise Vacation – 5-Night Stay at the Westin Resort & Spa Cancun with Airfare for 2 – Visitors seeking a relaxing beach vacation will delight in Cancun’s unparalleled tropical beauty. This beachfront property is located just steps from the world’s second largest coral reef – one of Cancun’s best spots for snorkeling and scuba diving.

Exotic Supercar Driving Experience for 2 drivers – Drive Your Dream Car on a Racetrack, Renaissance Las Vegas 3 – Night Stay with Airfare for 2 – Slip behind the wheel of the car of your dreams and experience the thrill of driving on a real racetrack. Lamborghini Huracan. Porsche 911 GT3. Nissan GTR Nismo, Audi R8 V-10. Experience the impressive 1.5-mile Formula-One-inspired racetrack comparable to top circuits in the world.

Either prize can be redeemed in cash, instead at the rate of the agency’s cost for each trip.

4^th-6^th Prizes: $1,000
7^th-8^th Prizes: $200

Buy one ticket for $25.00, buy five and get a sixth free. Or get a group to buy tickets together.

Garry Kvistad, Executive Director of the Drum Boogie Festival, with Michael Berg, Executive Director of FAMILY of Woodstock

FAMILY of Woodstock Volunteers

Family of Woodstock is the major provider of crisis intervention, domestic violence, homeless, adolescent, child care, and case management services, and is actively involved in addressing food insecurity throughout Ulster County. The Big $$$ Raffle supports all of Family’s services.