ZAOstock - press
Saturday 3 October 2026. Franklin Street Parklet, downtown Ellsworth, Maine. Free to attend.
In one paragraph
ZAOstock is a free, one-day, artist-built music festival on Franklin Street in downtown Ellsworth, Maine. From noon, independent artists play the outdoor parklet stage, then two hours of WaveWarZ, a live music-battle format where two artists go head to head and the audience decides. At six the whole street walks next door into Black Moon Public House for the evening. It is part of the 9th Annual Art of Ellsworth during Maine Craft Weekend, and it is produced by ZAO Festivals, the events arm of The ZAO, an independent music community with members in more than twenty countries.
Fast facts
| Date | Saturday 3 October 2026 |
| Where | Franklin Street Parklet, Ellsworth, Maine; Black Moon Public House next door from six |
| Cost | Free to attend |
| Music starts | Noon |
| Format | Independent artists outdoors, WaveWarZ live battles, then indoors at Black Moon with a DJ set and live music to close |
| Weather | Rain or shine, under tent cover from Wallace Events |
| Series | 9th Annual Art of Ellsworth, Maine Craft Weekend |
| Produced by | ZAO Festivals, the events arm of The ZAO |
| Schedule | zaostock.com/program |
| Contact | info@thezao.com |
The day
- Outdoors, Franklin Street Parklet, noon until six. Independent artists back to back.
- WaveWarZ, four to six, outdoors. Live music battles. Stilo, Jango, Lui and Quan go head to head, Hurricane on the mic, and the audience decides, in the street and online.
- Six onward, indoors at Black Moon Public House. Live music for the evening: a DJ set as the street walks in, then live music to close.
One venue at a time. The day does not split across two rooms.
The lineup
Held until 7 September
HOLD until 7 September. Two names are public now.
Lyons Den is confirmed. The full lineup is announced on 7 September.
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 and comes to the ZAOstock stage on 3 October.
Re-pull before publishing
HOLD - re-pull before publishing. As of 27 August 2026: 1,452 battles run.
Partners
Partners give time, venue and infrastructure, not money. Each has a confirmed agreement and a named point of contact on the ZAO team.
- Town 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 - the live music-battle format
- ENTERACT - production and operational support
- Web3Metal - partnership integration and community surface
- COC Concertz - community partnership
Boilerplate
Paste as written.
Short: ZAOstock is a free, one-day, artist-built music festival on Saturday 3 October 2026 at the Franklin Street Parklet in Ellsworth, Maine, with the evening next door at Black Moon Public House. It is part of the 9th Annual Art of Ellsworth during Maine Craft Weekend and is produced by ZAO Festivals, the events arm of The ZAO.
Long: ZAOstock is a free, one-day, artist-built music festival on Saturday 3 October 2026 in downtown Ellsworth, Maine. Music runs from noon at the Franklin Street Parklet, with two hours of WaveWarZ live music battles from four, then moves next door into Black Moon Public House for the evening. The day is programmed as one continuous event rather than competing stages, so nobody has to choose what to miss. ZAOstock takes place inside the 9th Annual Art of Ellsworth and Maine Craft Weekend and is produced by ZAO Festivals, the events arm of The ZAO, an independent community of musicians and digital creators. Admission is free.
Four angles
- Free, on purpose. Free admission is a choice, not a first-year compromise. Somebody can decide at eleven in the morning and simply turn up.
- One venue at a time. Most festivals run parallel stages and make the audience choose. ZAOstock runs one continuous programme that moves from the parklet indoors as the evening starts.
- Downtown, not a field. The whole day happens within walking distance in downtown Ellsworth, on a public parklet and in the pub next door, rather than on a site built for the weekend and taken down after.
- Part of a bigger weekend. ZAOstock sits 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, during NFT NYC, 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 is the first in Maine. The ZAO's founder lives in Ellsworth.
Why Ellsworth
Ellsworth is the gateway to Acadia National Park. Over four million people drove through in 2025. Downtown has just received National Historic Register designation. The Heart of Ellsworth ran 28 events in 2025 with more than 50 sponsors. ZAOstock plugs into that calendar rather than competing with it.
ZAOstock is also measuring what a free street festival does for downtown businesses - an ordinary Saturday against 3 October - and will publish the comparison combined across the businesses that take part.
Assets
Official mark, designed by Samantha "Candy" of CandyToyBox. Credit her when the mark is used.
- ZAOstock 2026 badge, colour (the primary mark):
/brand/logos/zaostock26_badge_official.png - ZAOstock 2026 badge, black and white:
/brand/logos/zaostock26_badge_bw_final.png
Artist photos and stage photos: not yet available. Ask.
For press
Interviews with the organiser are available in person in Ellsworth or by video. Artist interviews are arranged with each artist's agreement. Photo passes for 3 October: ask by email.
