From Storefronts to Stages: The AC Experience.

In just 8 weeks, August 13 -16, Alternating Currents will bring over 200 performances to our downtown Quad Cities. From music and comedy to art and film, it’s an immersive cultural experience unique to our region. And when we say it’s a downtown adventure – we mean it. 

It’s the weekend when your favorite brew pub turns into a music venue; where you might catch a band on a rooftop, a shipping dock, a bridge or a pizza place. Hey – even your local hardware store might get into the scene. It’s exactly the kind of thing that happens during Alternating Currents.

One of the most unexpected storefront-turned-stages at Alternating Currents is K&K Hardware in Downtown Bettendorf. Singer Beth Lizano can attest to that. 

“I was just super excited to be a part of Alternating Currents last year. And when I found out where the gig was, I was curious -- but still super pumped to be considered with so many other gifted musicians out there,” she said

Lizano said that on a Thursday afternoon, she didn’t think it would be a big crowd – and she wondered what the hardware store shoppers would think.

“People were actually grabbing the patio furniture chairs from the store and making rows to hear us play.  There were 4 rows of chairs and people standing to watch us. It was really cool that people made the commitment to come to K&K Hardware to support the festival and us!”

Lizano said she met new people, introduced herself as a musician, and just networked – she even ended up getting a private gig from being there. “And my fiancé bought a fishing pole!” She explained that while the event was well promoted, she also felt that it was a great way for patrons who just happened to be shopping to learn about a new community event.

That element of discovery is what Ben Gougeon, of Quad City Arts thinks makes AC so special. In his fourth year of leading the Silent Disco, Gougeon says the Skybridge is a perfect location for the popular event, partly because it’s visible from the street and boosts interest and excitement for the event. Last year, between the Skybridge location in Davenport and the Arts Alley location in Rock Island, the Silent Disco had about 1,000 people participating.

“Someone commented to me that the Silent Disco is really the best use of the Skybridge. When it’s all lit up with a couple hundred people up there – it’s not just a hallway anymore. It’s a vibrant, alive space.”

Gougeon says part of the event’s appeal is that it’s an accessible way for people to participate in the art form of dance.

“People love dancing with the headsets; it really lowers people’s inhibitions. It creates a private world for everyone – so people just let themselves go, and feel free to dance and move and do whatever they want,” he said.

Jon Keim, owner of Huckleberry’s Great Pizza and Calzones, says that the element of surprise – of discovering something unexpected – is definitely part of the fun of the event.

He says Alternating Currents is a chance for his restaurant, and for other businesses that may not typically have musical acts, to host a show. “What Alternating Currents brings to downtown is that excitement, that connectivity that we’ve been lacking in the few years coming out of the post-pandemic era, to kind of reestablish that and be creative in whatever ways we can,” he said.

Keim said a lunchtime show is scheduled at Huckleberry’s on kickoff day, Thursday, August 13, so patrons can grab a cold or hot lunch and enjoy a show on a workday afternoon. “I think events like Alternating Currents allow us to stretch our wings, and explore the possibilities,” said Keim.

Whether you’re discovering a new favorite band in a hardware store, dancing in the Skybridge or catching a lunchtime concert at a neighborhood restaurant, Alternating Currents invites festivalgoers to experience Downtown Quad Cities in a whole new way. Learn more and start planning your adventure by downloading the AC app.