Alternating Currents 2026 by the Numbers: Bigger than Ever, Still Free

4 days | 3 downtowns | 230+ events | 600+ individual artists & creatives | FREE

• 230+ performances, screenings and experiences scheduled throughout the festival

• 200+ acts, artists, films and creative projects featured in the official festival lineup

• 600+ individual artists and creatives represented across music, comedy, film, visual art, makers and other disciplines

• 60+ makers, art vendors and interactive artists

• 50+ venues activated across three downtowns, including 40+ small businesses 

• 25+ musical genres represented

• 35+ sponsors and community partners helping make the festival possible

• 4 new large-scale murals being created across the three downtowns

• $0 admission. Alternating Currents remains free and open to the public

LOCAL ROOTS, FAR-REACHING LINEUP

Alternating Currents is built around showcasing Quad Cities creativity while connecting local audiences and artists with talent from across the Midwest, the country and the world.

More than 40% of participating acts are Quad Cities-based, and nearly 80% are from the Quad Cities or broader Midwest region.

Approximate geographic breakdown:

• 43% Quad Cities

• 35% Regional/Midwest

• 20% National

• 2% International 

THE INVESTMENT BEHIND A FREE FESTIVAL

Alternating Currents doesn't just showcase artists; it invests in them. Every live performer booked by the festival is paid for their work, with more than $140,000 expected to go directly to performer compensation in 2026. This year, more than $200,000 in direct festival spending will go to artists, production companies and creative professionals.

Producing the 2026 festival represents approximately $320,000 in direct cash investment, supplemented by approximately $50,000 in in-kind goods and services. These figures do not include the significant value of staff time and organizational resources contributed by the downtown organizations, Quad Cities Chamber and festival partners.

That investment extends to the festival's host communities. AC activates 50+ venues across three downtowns, including more than 40 small businesses, putting festival activity directly inside locally owned bars, restaurants, shops and other establishments.

Alternating Currents intentionally operates no festival beverage tents. Rather than competing with downtown establishments for food and beverage sales, the festival is designed to drive audiences into the businesses that make up its footprint, allowing those businesses to directly benefit from festival spending. Even the festival's official merchandise program is designed to support local creatives, featuring designs by local artists with sales proceeds going directly back to the artists whose work is purchased. 

PLACEMAKING THROUGH THE ARTS 

Alternating Currents is produced by the Downtown Davenport Partnership as part of its broader place management work to strengthen and activate Downtown Davenport. DDP invests in placemaking, programming and experiences that bring people downtown, support local businesses, showcase the community's creative identity and create a downtown where people want to spend time.

DDP is funded primarily through Downtown Davenport's Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID), where downtown property owners collectively invest in services, programs and improvements that support the district. Alternating Currents represents one of DDP's largest placemaking investments, leveraging those local dollars alongside sponsorships, grants, partnerships and community support to create a free regional festival spanning three downtowns. 

WHY FREE MATTERS 

Alternating Currents is designed to make discovery easy. There are no tickets, wristbands or admission fees standing between audiences and the artists.

Festivalgoers can walk into a venue to see a band they've never heard of, discover a filmmaker at a screening, encounter live art on the street, catch a comedy show or explore a makers market, all without buying a ticket.

The festival is made possible through investment from downtown organizers, sponsors, grant funders, venues, community partners and individual supporters.

In 2026, the festival is launching Friends of Alternating Currents, giving festival fans another way to directly support the event and help keep it free. 

AC is free for audiences, but the art isn't free. The Downtown Davenport Partnership serves as the festival's lead producer and makes the largest investment in bringing Alternating Currents to life, accounting for over 80% of the festival's direct cash investment in 2026, in addition to significant staff and organizational resources. 

That investment is intentional: to pay artists for their work, support the local creative economy, drive people into downtown businesses and remove the cost of admission so everyone can experience it.