ZAOstock - press
Saturday 3 October 2026. Franklin Street Parklet, downtown Ellsworth, Maine. Free to attend. It happened.
In one paragraph
ZAOstock was a free, one-day, artist-built music festival on Franklin Street in downtown Ellsworth, Maine. Seven independent acts played the outdoor parklet stage from noon to six, with an evening billed next door at Black Moon Public House. It was part of the 9th Annual Art of Ellsworth during Maine Craft Weekend, and it was produced by ZAO Festivals, the events arm of The ZAO, an independent music community.
Fast facts
| Date | Saturday 3 October 2026 |
| Where | Franklin Street Parklet, Ellsworth, Maine. Black Moon Public House is next door, with its own evening billed from six |
| Cost | Free to attend |
| Support | zaostock.com/tickets - support the artists |
| Music starts | Noon |
| Format | Seven independent acts played outdoors, noon to six. Black Moon's own evening billed next door |
| Series | 9th Annual Art of Ellsworth, Maine Craft Weekend |
| Produced by | ZAO Festivals, the events arm of The ZAO |
| Running order | zaostock.com/program |
| Replay | zaostock.com/live |
| Contact | info@thezao.com |
The next one
ZAOstock 2027: Saturday, September 18, 2027. Place to be announced.
The day
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Outdoors, Franklin Street Parklet, noon until six. Independent artists on the bill, back to back.
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Seven acts, one stage, noon to six. Music ran from noon to six, with short changeovers between acts. The published running order is on zaostock.com/program.
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Six onward: Black Moon Public House's own evening, next door. The ZAOstock after-party was billed at Black Moon Public House, 142 Main St, on Black Moon's own premises: doors at 6 PM, music 7 to 10 PM, billed with North Creek, Treelock & HiDef, Sam Savage, Oven Baked Beats and DJ Aquavantes (Black Moon's flyer, zaostock.com/afterparty; two acts, Zaal 2026-10-07), hosted and underwritten by Black Moon on their own stage and their own licence. It was their event, not part of the ZAOstock programme, and ZAOstock's cover was the outdoor day only.
One venue at a time. The day did not split across two rooms.
The lineup
Seven acts played. In running order: The Crown Vics, OPEN X, Grass Rug, Michael Anderson, DCoop, LyonsDen, Tom Fellenz.
WaveWarZ
WaveWarZ is a live music-battle format. Two artists play head to head and the audience picks the winner, in person and online. It runs online all year.
It was NOT on the 3 October programme.
WaveWarZ is a confirmed partner. Its first live battle took place at ZAO-CHELLA in December 2024.
As of 1 October 2026, WaveWarZ had run 1,596 battles.
Partners
Partners gave time, venue and infrastructure. Every partner had a named point of contact on the ZAO team.
- City of Ellsworth - parklet venue
- Black Moon Public House - the evening, and the official after party
- Star 97.7 - local radio promotion
- Wallace Events - event equipment and tenting
- WaveWarZ - live music-battle format, online all year, not on the 3 October programme
- COC Concertz - co-presenter
- Bomb Squad - crew, content and merch
- WE THE MEDIA - media and content capture
- Heart of Ellsworth - community partner, Art of Ellsworth: Maine Craft Weekend
- Baraza - AI-voice media distribution
Boilerplate
Paste as written.
Short: ZAOstock was a free, one-day, artist-built music festival held on Saturday 3 October 2026 at the Franklin Street Parklet in Ellsworth, Maine, with the evening next door at Black Moon Public House. It was part of the 9th Annual Art of Ellsworth during Maine Craft Weekend and was produced by ZAO Festivals, the events arm of The ZAO.
Long: ZAOstock was a free, one-day, artist-built music festival held on Saturday 3 October 2026 in downtown Ellsworth, Maine. Seven acts played the Franklin Street Parklet back to back from noon until six; next door, an evening was billed at Black Moon Public House. One stage at a time rather than competing stages, so nobody had to choose what to miss. ZAOstock took place inside the 9th Annual Art of Ellsworth and Maine Craft Weekend and was produced by ZAO Festivals, the events arm of The ZAO, an independent community of musicians and digital creators. Admission was free.
Four angles
- Free, on purpose. Free admission was a choice, not a first-year compromise. Somebody could decide at eleven in the morning and simply turn up.
- One stage at a time. Most festivals run parallel stages and make the audience choose. ZAOstock ran one outdoor stage, one act after another, so nobody had to choose what to miss.
- Downtown, not a field. The whole day happened on a public parklet in downtown Ellsworth, within walking distance of everything, rather than on a site built for the weekend and taken down after.
- Part of a bigger weekend. ZAOstock sat inside the 9th Annual Art of Ellsworth and Maine Craft Weekend, a festival day within a weekend that already brings people to the region.
The ZAO
The ZAO is an independent community of musicians and digital creators. Its principle, in order: music first, community second, technology third. ZAO Festivals is its events arm.
Previous festivals:
- ZAO-PALOOZA - New York City, 2024. Twelve artists.
- ZAO-CHELLA - Miami, Wynwood, during Art Basel, December 2024. The first live WaveWarZ battle.
- ZAOville - Laurel, Maryland, July 2026, co-hosted with DCoop.
ZAOstock was the first in Maine. The ZAO's founder lives in Ellsworth.
Why Ellsworth
Ellsworth is the gateway to Acadia National Park. Downtown has just received National Historic Register designation. ZAOstock was part of the 9th Annual Art of Ellsworth and plugged into the town's calendar rather than competing with it.
Assets
The mark is the moose, drawn by attabotty. Colours, fonts and usage rules: zaostock.com/brand.
- The moose, primary mark (white on transparent):
/brand/logos/zaostock26_moose.png
Artist photos and stage photos: WE THE MEDIA captured on 3 October; ask for post-event assets.
For press
Interviews with the organiser are available in person in Ellsworth or by video. Artist interviews are arranged with each artist's agreement. Photos and footage from 3 October: ask by email.
