(March 14, 2022) — The inaugural White Rose Music Fest will bring two nights of music stars to downtown York this fall, thanks to a new partnership between York College of Pennsylvania and the York Revolution. PeoplesBank Park will host the event on October 7 and 8, 2022. The event lineup will be announced in just one week, on March 21 at 10:00 a.m.

The event furthers the growing presence of York College of Pennsylvania as a cultural and economic force in the York community. 

“The relationship between York College of Pennsylvania and the community is essential to the success of both,” said President Pamela Gunter-Smith. “With our community partners, we have built, and will continue to build, robust pathways between the campus on Country Club Road and the city, the county, and the region. The White Rose Music Fest is another important step toward ensuring this relationship stays strong.”

Revolution officials said the festival is another feather in the cap of York’s premier outdoor entertainment venue.

“I have always made the point that we are not just a sports company, we are a hospitality and entertainment company,” said Revolution President Eric Menzer. “This is just one more example of that. As we come out of the COVID pandemic, we are well-positioned as a company to bring this kind of world-class entertainment to York, and we’re excited to do it.”

In addition to sheer entertainment value, the joint venture is expected to offer direct benefits to York College students, who will participate in planning and presenting the event through various experiential-learning opportunities. 

“York College prepares students for careers, not just for their first jobs,” said Gunter-Smith. “We do this by providing top-notch instruction and hands-on-experience. The festival not only benefits the community by bringing world-class performers to downtown York at PeoplesBank Park, it also provides our students the ability to plan, execute, and follow up on a world-class event.”

Menzer added that the connection between the team and York College of Pennsylvania is strong and growing. 

“Many of our front office team members are York College alumni,” he said, “and we have hired dozens of York College students as interns in our past 15 years. This relationship is evidence of how a strong educational institution supports job creation and investment in a community like York.”

York College’s involvement in the event is supported by the William Stewart Shipley II Fund for Music. The primary aim of the fund is to bring high-profile musicians to the community to interact with students and faculty of the Music Program and to perform for the College and the York community. The first performance supported by the fund took place in October of 2021, when Patti LaBelle performed at the Waldner Performing Arts Center. 

“I often say as the city goes, so goes the college, and vice versa,” said Gunter-Smith. “This is why we made investments in Marketview Arts, the Center for Community Engagement, and now the Knowledge Park. Whether on campus or beyond our walls, a cornerstone of learning at York College is our high-impact practices: opportunities that range from internships to active, project-based learning that engages and challenges our students, and promotes deeper understanding. York College students have all the tools they need to build successful and fulfilling careers and become leaders in their fields – from day one.”