Usually festivals are big in the summer time but today we bring you news of a winter fest featuring a lot of cool bands happening at the beginning of this February. Friday and Saturday of next weekend (February 1st and 2nd) there will be a festival in Peoria called “Mates Fest” featuring plenty of bands from Peoria, and also some more! Springfield’s very own Jawbreaker influenced punk band Nephrons will be playing Friday night, and Lincoln’s own shoegaze project Hushpad will be playing Saturday night.

The festival itself is a benefit for the organization Camp Big Sky. “The mission of Camp Big Sky is to provide accessible fishing, camping, boating and other related outdoor opportunities to children and adults with disabilities.” For more info on the organization you can head here. For more info on the festival itself, you can go to the facebook event here. Both nights start at 6:00 pm and are $5 entry, or you can get in to both nights for $8!