Seventeen years after launching Flagstaff Hullabaloo, Matt Ziegler is still obsessed with music — just a little differently.
The longtime concert promoter and his wife, Hadassah, built the event 17 years ago. The Flagstaff Hullabaloo Festival returns to Wheeler Park from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 6, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 7, with live music, dance, hands‑on activities, craft drinks, a parade, and a full kids’ area. Ticket prices vary.
For Ziegler, the festival’s longevity is surreal and deeply personal.
“Every year, I feel like the event gets a little bit better,” he said. “As I age, I appreciate the reunions of old friends and folks who travel here for the event even more.”
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The lineup still thrills him, too. Booking acts in the dead of winter and watching them light up a June crowd never gets old. “The gleeful reactions and dancing that follow are a delight to witness,” he said.
The idea of Hullabaloo as a family-friendly gathering took shape around the time the Zieglers’ daughter was born. The community party is a place where parents can dance with their kids, where old friends can reconnect, and where newcomers can instantly feel part of Flagstaff’s fabric.
This year, Ziegler’s band, Pummin Lummin, will make its festival debut after recording its first album — a full‑circle moment for someone who has spent decades on the other side of the stage.
The rest of the lineup is Mitchum Yacoub, Onus B Johnson, Reposado, Innastate, Giovani Kiyingi, The Skavelinas, Pummin Lummin, Crosstown Players, Whoa Nelly!, Seenan, Tsoh Tso, Nuvatukyaovi Sinom Dance Group and Robot Apocalypse.
Hullabaloo’s identity was clear from the beginning. The first year, he said, felt like a tremendous gamble. But celebrants arrived.
“The community response absolutely exceeded expectations,” he said. “It felt like a success from that first year.”
The festival’s personality — whimsical costumes, high‑energy dance music, and a bike parade — shone from the start.
“FLG folks love to dress in wild costumes and don’t need too much cajoling,” Ziegler said. “Flagstaff loves to boogie down and let it all hang out.”
There were tangible impacts, too. Year one raised more than $6,000 for a local biking advocacy nonprofit, and Downtown businesses saw a bump. But the emotional impact stuck. The event has collected more than $182,500 for local nonprofits since 2010.
“What started as a fun time has taken on greater significance to me,” Ziegler said. “I’ve lost some loved ones over the last couple of years, which makes me strive to connect with the people I care about more often and to be more present in the moment when we are together.”
