The inaugural Moab Women’s Festival promises a unique celebration of women’s contributions to the local economy and the arts and culture scene – all in one day.

“Moab is a community full of amazing, strong, motivated, creative women entrepreneurs. So how about we just do women-related things for a whole day?” said Toni Sicola, one of the event organizers.

“We do a lot of business, we have amazing musical talent, we have great artists, we have people doing creative business… all these different things,” Sicola said.

“From a Woman,” organized by Sicola and co-organizer Teresa Herd, is scheduled for Sept. 14 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Archway Inn. The event will take place on a lawn behind the hotel with a stage and playground donated by the hotel for the day. Herd and Sicola hope to make it an annual event.

Female-fronted musicians performing at the event include The Butch Cassidies, Toni & the Enablers (Sicola’s band), Talia Keys and The Hattie Craven Band. The mix of artists includes a mix of genres – including folk, rock, Americana and soul.

Women are still vastly underrepresented in the music industry, both in the creation process of music and on the Billboard charts, as several recent studies show. Keys pointed out that many festivals are made up primarily of cisgender men and she was sometimes the only woman on a lineup.

“Women’s festivals create an environment where women and marginalized genders are empowered,” Keys said. “… Festivals like this are so important everywhere, but even more so in rural areas. Our representation is important.”

In total, the festival will feature 15 to 20 vendors, including a variety of food and beverages from women-owned businesses such as Stargazer Social Club, Baked by Rachel, and South Mountain Provisions. Local artists and artist-owned businesses such as Abster Artz, Desert Sun Ceramics, Globe Mallow Studios, King Good Studio, The Medicine Basket, and Only Remains will exhibit and sell their work.

“There are a lot of women-owned businesses in town that people just don’t know about,” Sicola said. “…We really want to shine a spotlight and get to know the women in our community who are doing all these amazing things and strengthening Moab’s economy in creative ways,”

Tickets are currently on presale for $15 and will be on sale for $25 on September 1st.

Leading up to the event, anyone can nominate a “TrailblazHER,” a woman who has made a significant impact on Moab, to be honored for her contributions to the community during the festival. Organizers have also been featuring various women on social media leading up to the festival.

In addition to musical performances, the festival will also feature activities that highlight women-led businesses and offer unique, interactive experiences.

“We are planning to kick off the day with a Navajo dance experience, a slackline demonstration… and possibly a yoga session,” Herd said.

Organizing the festival has been challenging at times for Sicola and Herd, but enthusiastic collaboration with each other and the broader community has made it easier. It’s a value that resonates with the women of Moab, said Sicola, who has worked in the wedding industry for several years and founded the Stargazer Social Club with her husband.

“A rising tide lifts all boats,” Sicola said. “The kind of ethos we want to bring to this event is to promote women-owned and women-led businesses where anyone can succeed… there’s room for everyone and we can all help put each other in the spotlight.”

Sicola and Herd also said they want to make their festival as accessible as possible to locals, but hope outsiders enjoy it as well.

“Some of the festivals that happen here are great, but they can also be expensive – we wanted to make it accessible to vendors, sponsors and locals and not make them too expensive,” Herd said.

Sicola added that their goal this first year was not to make money, but rather they wanted the artisans and vendors to actually make some money and keep ticket prices low.

“Our goal is to just put on something great and then as it grows over time, we can increase ticket sales and … we can potentially bring in bigger regional acts and get more grants and other types of funding to make the event bigger,” she said.

This year, proceeds from the festival will go to Girls on the Run, a school program that focuses on girl empowerment, leadership, team spirit and discipline. In 2025, they will likely choose a different nonprofit.

Although they learn a lot the first time around, organizers hope that over time the festival will become a permanent fixture in the community’s events calendar.

“I think it’s really about recognizing the women of the past who played a fundamental role in building and growing this community and the women today who are doing the same,” Herd said.