{"id":35250,"date":"2025-11-04T20:37:06","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T20:37:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/35250\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T20:37:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T20:37:06","slug":"fort-worth-songwriters-festival-2025-celebrates-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/35250\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Worth Songwriters Festival 2025 Celebrates Community"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the sticky warmth of early November, Fort Worth\u2019s music scene readies itself for a weekend of chords, voices, and stories told under dim lights for the second annual Fort Worth Songwriters Festival<\/a>. From Thursday, Nov. 6, through Sunday, Nov. 9, Southside Preservation Hall and The Rose Chapel will transform into a sanctuary for songwriters \u2014 a place where collaborations spark in real time, and every note carries the city\u2019s history and heartbeat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the center of it all is Keegan McInroe<\/a>, the man whose vision turned a few scattered ideas into a living, breathing festival. McInroe\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0just the organizer \u2014\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0the architect, the cheerleader, the guy who will pause mid-conversation to reflect, laugh, and then lean back into the next challenge. \u201cThere\u2019s no rest for the weary during festival week,\u201d he says, voice still waking up from the long grind of planning, \u201cbut it\u2019s worth every minute.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Last year marked the festival\u2019s inaugural run<\/a>, and it was, by all accounts, a\u00a0revelation. \u201cOne of the toughest things,\u201d McInroe reflects, \u201cis realizing\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0in your head\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0always\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0in someone else\u2019s. Last year gave us proof of concept \u2014 everyone could see where this could go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That proof came in the form of collaboration \u2014 a defining feature of Fort Worth\u2019s music scene. McInroe calls it warm, open, and uniquely generous. \u201cPeople help each other out here,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve been around, and I think Fort Worth has a special thing.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

That sense of community permeates every aspect of the festival \u2014 from the curated performances to the small, almost imperceptible details that McInroe sweats over, such as tablecloths on tables, smooth volunteer coordination, and backstage flow for artists and sponsors alike.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This year, the lineup has expanded to around 75 artists \u2014 duos, trios, and full bands \u2014 each bringing their own flavor to a weekend of music that is as much about discovery as it is about celebration. But the festival\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0just for ticket holders. Workshops and Q&As with songwriters like Sarah McQuaid and Scott Copeland, along with discussions on performance rights hosted by BMI representatives, are free and open to anyone who wants to experience the scene from the inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n

McInroe\u2019s journey to creating the festival reads like a love letter to Fort Worth. The idea sparked in\u00a02021, following a series of intimate shows and Sunday gatherings called Keegan & Katie & Friends. \u201cSeeing people come together, collaborating,\u00a0loving on\u00a0each other \u2014 it gave me so much joy,\u201d he remembers. Then came the discovery of Southside Preservation Hall. \u201cI fell in love with this place,\u201d he says, recalling its character, its history, its smell \u2014 not bad, just lived-in. It was the perfect stage for his vision.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With the help of friends, mentors, and supporters, McInroe established the Fort Worth Songwriter Foundation \u2014 a nonprofit structure designed not only to host a weekend festival but to foster the local scene year-round. Sponsorships from Record Town, Printed Threads, and other local businesses\u00a0make it possible. Still, McInroe emphasizes accessibility: Thursday\u2019s $10 opening night, Saturday markets, and free courtyard\u00a0showcases\u00a0ensure that money\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0a barrier to connection. \u201cWhether you have a lot of money or very little,\u201d he says, \u201cthere\u2019s\u00a0something for everyone.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0the point.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a city where live music has faced post-pandemic challenges, with audiences now discovering bands through TikTok as much as local posters, the festival serves as a rallying cry: come together, support one another, and remember why Fort Worth\u2019s music scene has always mattered.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe point of it is to nurture and cultivate and grow our scene to build bridges and help connect people and organizations where there’s gaps,\u201d McInroe says. \u201cWe want to step in and just lend a hand towards that same goal, which is to just help grow and take care of this beautiful community that we all care about, and we want to see thrive.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the sticky warmth of early November, Fort Worth\u2019s music scene readies itself for a weekend of chords,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35251,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[16922,889,727,116,118,117,574,22173,22172,1012,92],"class_list":["post-35250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-worth","tag-artists","tag-arts-and-culture","tag-festival","tag-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth-headlines","tag-fort-worth-news","tag-live-music","tag-songwriter","tag-songwriting","tag-stephen-montoya","tag-top-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35250"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35250\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}