LouFest is back and bigger than ever, boasting arguably its most impressive lineup yet.

After piquing fans’ interest with a fill-in-the-blank lineup guessing game, LouFest organizers revealed early Tuesday morning that The Killers and Wilco will be headlining this year’s two-day music festival Sept. 7 and 8.

In its past three years of existence, LouFest has managed each year to draw in a few big names among a large number of up-and-coming bands and local favorites. However, this year’s lineup is more stacked than ever, featuring a number of big names like Grammy-nominated Alabama Shakes and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes.

This year’s noticeably stronger lineup is likely due in part to a recent partnership between LouFest’s founders, Listen Live Entertainment and C3 Presents – the force behind Lollapalooza and the Austin City Limits Music Festival. St. Louis natives needn’t fret, however, as the festival continues its tradition of featuring local St. Louis artists. This year it’s St. Louis favorites Kentucky Knife Fight and Tef Poe. Additionally, Wilco’s lead man Jeff Tweedy grew up near St. Louis and formed most of the band in the city before relocating to Chicago, so fans can likely expect a special performance.

Even the lower portion of the LouFest lineup features a number of well-known artists, including Jim James, Local Natives, Walk the Moon, Ra Ra Riot, Icona Pop, Fitz and the Tantrums and more. The festival will feature 30 bands and artists total, spanning a variety of music genres – from synth-pop to indie, bluegrass to punk, high-energy rock to rap, and everything in between.

In order to accommodate the number of performers, as well as provide an even better festival experience for fans, LouFest 2013 will feature three stages instead of two.

This will allow multiple bands to perform at the same time. The festival will still take place at its original location: Central Field in Forest Park.
Two-day passes to LouFest will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, May 3.