PREVIEW: Wet Leg to headline Omaha’s MAHA music festival
PREVIEW
PREVIEW
☆ BY NINA KUDLACZ ☆
OMAHA, NEBRASKA IS GETTING A TASE OF THE U.K.—Since 2009, the annual MAHA music festival has brought together local and national acts to share their music in the heart of the midwest: Omaha.
The festival returns this year on Saturday, August 8 at The RiverFront in downtown Omaha with U.K. indie rock band Wet Leg headlining the festival.
With the closest major music festivals being Hinterland in St. Charles, Iowa and Lollapalooza in Chicago, Illinois, MAHA holds it down where many artists rarely visit.
The festival blends all genres; a few artists that have previously played at MAHA include Geese, Japanese Breakfast, Magdalena Bay, Turnstile, Big Thief and Lizzo, though a more extensive list can be found here.
Outside of the main performances, the Heartland of America Park Skate Ribbon will host an interactive festival hub including a Silent Disco featuring nine local DJs starting at 6 p.m. There will also be a youth music showcase from four Omaha Girls Rock bands, an artist from Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands and an interactive instrument activation hosted by The Bay.
Concert-goers can also connect with local nonprofits and organizations including free menstrual products from Access Period.
This year’s lineup
At 1 p.m. Omaha’s own Carver Jones will kick off the 2026 MAHA music festival. Now based in Nashville, Jones will return to Omaha for a hometown show and will perform music from his upcoming EP 8, which releases the day before the music festival.
Omaha-based David Nance will follow Jones performing at 2:15 p.m. with his most recent project David Nance & Mowed Sound. Originally from Grand Island, Nebraska, Nance and his group will bring their experimental sound and their homegrown quality to the festival.
Continuing on at 3:30 p.m. modern indie band Whitney will perform their set. Known for introspective songwriting, the 11-year-old band originated just two states over in Chicago, Illinois and has since released six albums including one recorded live at Electric Lady Studios.
Rising star from Los Angeles, California Blondshell will perform at 5:00 p.m. Blondshell is best known for her relatable, indie rock music with pop influences. Her third studio album Violins will be released on September 25 and after performing at MAHA, she will tour the U.S. and Europe.
Grammy award winning solo artist Killer Mike will continue the night at 6:30 p.m., bringing his Atlanta-based rap to the heartland. A jack of many trades, Killer Mike is also an advocate, actor, entrepreneur and has collaborated on other projects with many big names in the hip-hop scene.
At 8:00 p.m., Omaha-natives Bright Eyes will take the stage to perform in their hometown. The band first formed in 1995 and over 30 years later have cumulated a vast, widely-renowned indie rock discography. They will also be hitting the road on tour around the U.S. after their stop at MAHA.
After performing at Lollapalooza on August 1 and Hinterland on August 2, Wet Leg will finish the night at MAHA headlining at 9:45 p.m., performing songs from their most recent breakout album moisturizer and their self-titled debut album. After the release of moisturizer last year, Wet Leg has officially taken their place in the spotlight with their punchy guitar riffs, beautiful melodies and kick-ass lyricism that dives into the mania of falling in love.
To catch any of these seven artists, tickets for the festival can be found here.
