Bruce Springsteen and other musical acts performed at the inaugural "Power to the People" protest festival on Saturday, October 3, 2026. The sold-out event, held at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, featured performances and messaging aimed at promoting peace, justice, solidarity, and voter participation ahead of upcoming midterm elections.
Organized by Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, the festival was established following the withdrawal of several musical acts from "The Great American State Fair," a celebration of the U.S. 250th anniversary. Those cancellations were linked to the event's associations with President Donald Trump. "Power to the People" was announced in May 2026 as an alternative focused on community action and civic engagement.
Springsteen headlined the festival, opening his set with "Streets of Minneapolis," a song written in response to the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti during a federal immigration operation in Minnesota. Other performers included Foo Fighters, Joan Baez, Dave Matthews, Public Enemy, and Dropkick Murphys. The event featured a "Freedom Village" where attendees interacted with nonprofit organizations such as the ACLU, Farm Aid, and the National Domestic Workers Alliance.
The festival featured groups like VoteRiders and HeadCount, which received a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales. Attendees were encouraged by performers like Killer Mike to participate in local elections for school boards and county commissions. With the festival occurring one month before the midterm elections, the emphasis was on direct civic participation and holding elected officials accountable.
For the thousands in attendance at the sold-out venue, the event represented an intersection of entertainment and advocacy. The presence of the ACLU and Oxfam provided a link for individuals to join policy debates or donate to humanitarian causes. Performers used the stage to critique government actions, such as immigration enforcement by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Organizers aimed to align cultural energy with voter turnout for the midterm election cycles. Following the final performance of Woody Guthrie’s "This Land Is Your Land" and John Lennon's "Power to the People," the immediate focus for organizers and partnered nonprofits shifts to the window leading up to the November 2026 elections.