Frendly Gathering: Danny Davis and Jack Mitrani’s Eco-Friendly Music Festival

A weekend in the Green Mountains full of camping, good energy, great music, and even better friends? Sign us up ASAP. Peter Cirilli photo.

After a rough '09/'10 winter season, Danny Davis and Jack Mitrani decided it was time for some positivity and good vibes. Following a four-wheeler accident that left Davis with a broken back and after dear friend Kevin Pearce's traumatic brain injury that took a toll on the entire snowboarding community, Davis and Mitrani wanted to bring friends and fans together in one place to have nothing but a good time.

So in 2010, the two professional snowboarders came up with their ultimate brainchild: The Frendly Gathering Music Festival.

Check Here For Tickets To Frendly Gathering

Two of the Frendly-est faces of Vermont, Danny Davis and Jack Mitrani. Photo courtesy of Jack Mitrani.

If you haven’t heard of this event in the lush Green Mountains of northern Vermont, it’s about time you do. So we got on the phone with Davis and Mitrani to find out everything you need to know about the festival, which will be held this weekend at Sugarbush Resort in Waitsfield, Vermont.

For Davis and Mitrani, the weekend is so much more than just a musical experience. “It’s a soul reset, disconnecting from society and social media and everything and just having a good time,” said Mitrani. “It felt so right and fitting to have it in Vermont in the mountains we love and where we grew up snowboarding.”

We think you'll be jumping for joy like Danny Davis if you head to Frendly Gathering this weekend. Photo courtesy of Jack Mitrani.

If you've ever been to Vermont, you already know that it's probably the most laid-back state on the East Coast, and next to the long winters of skiing, summertime in the state is something special.

“Vermont is all about camping, music, and hanging out with your buddies in the summer,” said Davis. “At Frendly, we have a small family, but it's a great group of people.”

Jack Mitrani jamming onstage with Twiddle, who will be headlining again this year. Peter Cirilli photo.

“Every year, we want to hit every genre of music our friends are into, from rock to bluegrass to jam bands to DJs. We like to keep it eclectic, and we try to craft it so that there’s a little something for everybody," said Davis. "We want to be able to go through the day with different dancing and music vibes."

The rain did not stop festival-goers from enjoying some incredible music at last year's Frendly Gathering. Ali Kaukas photo.

After his debut last year, Mitrani’s brother Luke (who also happens to be a Dew Tour athlete), is performing a whole set of his original music this weekend. Other headliners include The Devil Makes Three, Trevor Hall, Greensky Bluegrass, and Kamasi Washington.

Check Here For The Weekend's Full Lineup

It’s clear that people don’t go to Frendly just for the music: they go for the company, the community, and everything in between.

What would a summer musical festival in Vermont be without Ben & Jerry's ice cream? Peter Cirilli photo.

Not only is the festival a time for the outdoor and music communities to come together, but also an environmentally-friendly event with Burton Snowboards as a sustainability partner. All of Frendly's vendors are 100% compostable, single-use plastics are banned, and there are plenty of stations for sorting recycling and composting.

“Frendly catapulted me into understanding sustainability more," said Mitrani. "Seeing the environmental impact that a music festival has firsthand got us thinking and inspired to make a change, especially being part of the snowboarding world that requires the environment more than anything."

Throughout the weekend, there will be events going on at the Earth Frendly Booth where festival-goers can write to their senators to take a stand against plastic pollution, learn about permaculture, donate nonperishable foods to local food banks, and much more.

"With the help of Marina McCoy from WasteFree Earth, we’ve been able to create a sustainable and environmentally-conscious festival,” said Mitrani.

Danny Davis and Jack Mitrani advocating for proper waste sorting at the festival. Photo courtesy of Jack Mitrani.

“We’re the first generation that can make a difference, and we have all the information and statistics,” said Davis. “It’s impossible to not be a part of it.”

As members of the snow and summer sports communities who live and breathe the outdoors, Davis and Mitrani want to protect the places where they work and play while enjoying them in every season possible.

We like how Frendly embodies some of summer's finer things: good company, live music, and skating. Peter Cirilli photo.

There’s a synergy between the outdoor sports and music communities that happens at Frendly, Mitrani and Davis said. “We’re all just stoked to be in the mountains and having a good time, regardless of what time of year it is,” said Mitrani.

If you're able to make it to Frendly for a weekend of good vibes and a healthy dose of Vitamin D, be sure to check out the TGR StokeMobile, which will be on site all weekend with TGR apparel, content, and more. Come say hi and let’s get Frendly!