From March 20-22, AubFest hosted nearly 1,300 attendees for its eighth edition at local ATV park Boggin’ on the Plains. The biannual independent music and arts festival showcased over 25 artists and 30 different performances, including headliner Trevor Commodore. Along with live music and entertainment, guests enjoyed local vendors, food trucks and camping.
Attendees began entering Boggin’ on the Plains Friday afternoon, setting up their cars and tents for camping or parking in the lot for the day. The crowd featured all ages and a wide range of styles.
In 2022, Auburn University alumna Ashley Spencer created AubFest, a DIY music and art festival that has grown every year. This semester, five student and alumni directors continued what Spencer started: Aiden Calderon-Wyant, Riley Dimon, Jason Owens, Sally Little and Sally Spearman.
“The big thing is always community,” said Calderon-Wyant, outreach director for AubFest. “Like this is my community, so I love seeing my family. I love seeing my friends. I love seeing the bands.”
Anna Speigner, sophomore in psychology, is now a seasoned AubFest attendee, having attended the past four and camped at the last three. Speigner said the other attendees kept drawing her back.
“The community is fun and welcoming,” Speigner said. “Like there’s people all around you, so you feel safe. Like everybody is watching out for everybody.”
People sit together while waiting for a band to perform at AubFest on March 20, 2026 in Auburn, Ala.
Past the main stage, over 15 retail vendors sat under tents decorated with their products, ranging from jewelry, crochet, art, clothing, soap and even live portraits. Among the vendors were Tay’s Trinkets, Mal McCoy Art, Micropothecary and Roo’s Trading Post.
Roo’s Trading Post, owned by Auburn student Lily Naylor, sells a combination of vintage goods, ranging from clothes to trinkets.
Although this is Roo’s Trading Post’s first AubFest, Naylor has been at the past four as an attendee. After spending years collecting, she decided it was time to start giving back into the community.
“I love coming out here and feeling like I belong somewhere. [I love] the music, the people, like everything about Aubfest,” Naylor said.
By the Bog stage, a small merch booth, where attendees could buy AubFest t-shirts, posters and miscellaneous band merchandise, was set up.
There were a total of seven performances on the Bog Stage on Friday: Varsity Blues, Sandpipers, Shock Tea, No Culture, The Band Honey, CLD and Marz.
Kicking off the festival at 5:15 p.m., Varsity Blues played their new song “Mileage” from their upcoming album and a few covers of familiar favorites, including “Enter Sandman” by Metallica.
The next performance by the Sandpipers, a surf-rock band, got the crowd dancing and forming mosh pits. Under flashing colorful lights, the band played some of their own songs, including “Drive Fast Think Slow” and “Betty Bruiser.”
Shock Tea and No Culture followed their performance, continuing to hype the audience up in the late afternoon with their sets.
The local Auburn act The Band Honey amped up the energy that night with several of their new original songs, such as “Reaching," “Orange Skies” and their new single “Tongue Tied," releasing March 28. This was their second time playing at AubFest, and they loved it just as much as the first time.
“Just the community, the people here,” said Curry Jones, guitarist for The Band Honey, on what he loves about AubFest. “There’s nothing more you can ask for in a crowd than what they always bring to the table.”
AubFest’s second stage, the Grove, opened with a group of six local comedians. With five minutes each, they pulled the crowd in with relatable, political and culturally relevant jokes.
A guitarist for the band When Day Breaks plays at AubFest on Friday, March 20, 2026 in Auburn, Ala.
Next up was When Day Breaks, an Auburn-based metal-core band and second place winner of AubFest’s “Battle of the Bands.” Hosted on March 1, the event featured six bands competing for a spot to play at the festival. The placements were determined by an audience vote, and the top three bands were guaranteed a chance to play.
When Day Breaks’ set began with several original songs and covers by iconic metal bands, including Deftones and Poison the Well, before ending with a metal cover of “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson.
Under red lights, their set captivated the audience, with a mosh pit forming quickly, as attendees banged their heads along to the music.
Following When Day Breaks was the third place winner of the Battle of the Bands, Mayweather x Greenish Pools as well as alternative rock band Speak Easy from Troy, Alabama, with their own unique sets.
CLD, a hyperpop artist, and Marz, a DJ and producer from Birmingham, finished out the night with two upbeat sets that lasted past midnight.
On Saturday, the Bog Stage welcomed eleven acts, beginning with Tim McNary at 11 a.m. The Nashville-based folk singer started the morning with a chill, acoustic set of some of his original songs, such as “Back in my Body” and “Tidal Wave,” while attendees basked in the warm weather.
Tim McNary performs Saturday morning at AubFest on March 21, 2026 in Auburn, Ala.
The Band Silhouette, an adventurous rock band native to Auburn, brought energy into the morning crowd with a cover of “Peg” by Steely Dan and an unreleased song called “Rocking a Heartache” coming out March 27. Now on their seventh AubFest, The Band Silhouette has seen the festival grow exponentially in the past four years.
“Every single year, it’s gotten better in one way or another, and we’re super happy that we’ve gotten to be a big piece of it throughout the years,” said James Berryhill, singer and guitarist for The Band Silhouette.
Hosted by Mizfits, five local drag artists performed in the afternoon, encouraging high audience participation, social media support and tips. Co-hosted by drag artists Skittles and Colana Bleu, the two gave theatrical and energized performances, along with three other artists: Buttons, Fruitbat and Tokyo Drift.
The crowd continued to grow with performances by Oh.Pake and Make Sure. Thwack brought the energy with a unique, somewhat jazzy sound that had the crowd stomping around.
Carmine Sun, another crowd favorite from Auburn, took the stage as the sun began to set, performing a few of their own songs, such as “So Good” and “Mystery Man.” During their cover of “Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls, attendees began to wrap their arms around each other and sway to the beat. The psychedelic shoegaze band has played at AubFest twice before.
“It feels like it’s the biggest stage on Earth because of the energy from the crowd and the festival,” said Gerrit Notch, the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Carmine Sun. “It’s really cool seeing the swapping and exchange of art. Like, not just music, visual art, dancing, etc.”
Warhol, an alt-rock band from Auburn, had the audience once again dancing and headbanging, as their music shook through the ground.
Saturday at the Grove started early at 10:30 with AubFest Games before artists Sayryn, Rex Novi, and Anjel performed under the hot sun.
Giving the artists a moment's reprieve, the Kreher Preserve & Nature Center hosted a reptile show, inviting audience members to hold and take pictures with various species of snakes and turtles. They finished the exhibit with a special look at Cosmo, a six-month-old American Alligator small enough to fit in a human palm.
Auburn, not to be confused with The Loveliest Village, is an indie-rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. They covered songs from the popular indie band Pinegrove, along with an assortment of original songs and a special cover of “Come Together” by the Beatles.
Zeph Embers, a guitar and vocal recording artist, followed Auburn’s set, creating a calm atmosphere, as he played a compilation of inspirational original songs.
The crowd consisted of strangers and friends, but it was unnoticeable to the naked eye. Everyone interacted with familiarity, no matter their status, and Embers noticed this.
“The overall vibe has been a lot of friendship. People are very open, and it’s very secure and safe," Embers said.
Rounding off the night at the Grove, Lucid and Dog City performed alongside a roaring bonfire, where onlookers watched Embers twirl fire to the music.
Back at the Bog, onlookers prepared to watch the two most anticipated acts of the night: the first place Battle of the Bands’ winner, Rabbithole, and the headliner, Carver Commodore.
Rabbithole, a metal band from Auburn, performed a set of released and unreleased original songs, along with a special cover of Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana." The band has been changing rapidly, as they’ve recently gained a new lead singer and are preparing to release a full album.
“This is honestly the best environment musically we’ve ever been,” said Noah Chapel, the electric guitarist for Rabbithole. “We have never been immersed in so much original talent, original music and diverse sounds and genres of music. We’re just so thankful to be here in the middle of it.”
Headliner Carver Commodore, a rock 'n' roll band from Florence, Alabama, caught the crowd’s attention right away with their electric and thunderous set. They played a few of their original songs, including “Stone Cold Stunner” and “Drown Me in Emotions.” They also played "The Tiger," their new song released this month.
“It’s cool to see something that this many people come to, and it seems like there’s like a variety of genres and stuff,” said Payton Pruitt, lead singer and guitarist of Carver Commodore. “That’s like always a good thing in our book.”
DJs Asper, Trey Baby and Mourning Dove rounded out the night with loud club hits into the early morning of Sunday.
AubFest not only showcased talented artists from the local and regional areas but also provided a safe and welcoming community for the guests who attended the jam-packed and spirited DIY festival.
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Katelyn Smith, sophomore majoring in journalism, is from Birmingham, Alabama. She has been with The Auburn Plainsman since the fall of 2025. Smith previously served as a lifestyle writer, and she is currently serving as the Lifestyle Editor.
Emily Edgy, a freshman majoring in social science and history education, is from Centreville, Alabama. She has been with The Auburn Plainsman since the spring of 2026.
