The festival's first home was Moravian College's 420-seat Foy Hall in Bethlehem, PA. It quickly moved on to Lehigh University's 1,000-seat Baker Hall at the Zoellner Arts Center to its current home at the 1,850-seat Patriots Theater in Trenton, NJ. From its inception, NEARfest has presented both high-profile headliners and up-and-coming undercard acts to its sell-out crowds. The festival has brought the likes of Spock's Beard, IQ, Porcupine Tree, Transatlantic, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Steve Hackett, Magma and Camel to the stage, and has been integral in the reunions of the legendary Happy the Man and Nektar! Support of the new global progressive rock scene is a major part of NEARfest. Many modern ensembles have been exposed to a much wider audience due to their performances at NEARfest. Prime examples are Nathanl Mahl, DFA, Miriodor, Thinking Plague, and Birdsongs of the Mesozoic.

NEARfest captures the spirit of what progressive rock by bringing together 10 world-class bands, well over 1,000 eager fans, and close to 35 music vendors each year. The electricity and excitement of the weekend is felt even before the curtain rises on the first act. Attendees come from the world over to enjoy some of their favorite bands and many that they may not have had a chance to see otherwise. Part of the NEARfest experience is discovering new music. Many fans return home with new favorites both based on surprise "hit" performances from the weekend and from socializing with other "prog heads" buying new music from the vendors.

Five years running, NEARfest has become an annual tradition and one that plans to continue. There have been many very memorable sets from 1999 to 2003 and many more to come. In conjunction with the festival, NEARfest Records will do its best to release some of the best performances from past events. We hope to memories of NEARfest live on through an impressive series of live releases.

For much more on NEARfest, visit the festival website at http://www.nearfest.com.