DuLilith Fest: Fostering Community in a Divided World

Attendees of DuLilith Fest listen to local band, Cigarette Picnic. Photo credit: Elysia Kjellberg

As the rain poured down, attendees of DuLilith Fest huddled closer, umbrellas came up and the bands played on. Community spaces where people can gather freely and safely feel like they are becoming few and far between, fostering social isolation in place of community. DuLilith Fest is one group that is trying to change that norm. 

“Music is such a connecting piece to get us all together,” said DuLilith Co-founder Charity Hout Benedict, “The world is crazy, it feels flipped upside down and people need help. So, we made that help in a way that feels intentional.” 

DuLilith is a Duluth music festival modeled after the women-centered Lilith Festival that took place in the late 90s. Both festivals share the same goal of bringing together people to uplift female artists, in a space they aren’t often given, to share what they have to offer to the community. 

The event had 13 different music groups, all of which featured or consisted fully of women. The artists ranged in age from middle schoolers to 60-year-olds, and covered a wide variety of genres. The festival also began with guided yoga with live cello music to connect the community to the Earth and themselves.

“Anytime we can elevate humanity to bring out the good and unite, we find connection in our own selves,” said Huot Benedict. “In a community you start feeling safer and stronger. And when you do leave, you leave with a little piece of what you got from that space.” Social connection is especially necessary post COVID-19 and in a politically divided world where many prefer to keep to themselves. 

And that rare energy could be felt; festival attendees were dancing and swaying along to the music, and children were running and playing amongst the crowd. At one point, MC Adeline Wright said from the stage, “You are all radiating love, and it is beautiful!” 

The goal of DuLilith Fest wasn’t just to create a safe event for the community to come together, though. It also aimed to actively support women and open up community discussion on women’s issues in a space where conversation can be more casual. 

“Events like this are so important to making discussions surrounding violence against women less taboo,” PAVSA executive director Mary Faulkner said. “It helps to break that isolation survivors of sexual assault feel and to help them identify their needs.” 

It was entirely free to attend, but donations were encouraged that would go towards local women-supporting nonprofits such as PAVSA, SafeHaven and YWCA, among others. These organizations all offer crisis services and support to women and other marginalized groups, as well as advocacy for issues that persist in our communities.

Supporting those who are marginalized in the community through positive events helps break the stigma and draw awareness to issues that persist in the larger world. DuLilith aimed to give voice to women who often aren’t able to share their voice artistically and also support women who have suffered violence and give them a voice as well. 

“Events like this that bring folks together reach those who may not know of our services, and then we are able to identify their needs and help them,” said Faulkner. Supporting a larger community supports the individuals within that community and raises the voices of those who are typically unheard and unrepresented. 

“We’re going to get people that remember what they experienced here and can use that throughout the year,” Huot Benedict said, “And one day, hopefully, they’ll use that to ask what they can do to support people and take that initiative."