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Rural Iowa festival brings hip-hop, arts to small town

Linh Ta

Split image: left shows a man in a brown T-shirt and red bandana standing in a green crop field; right shows a group of people in a park dancing with hoops among trees on a sunny day. — Siriaco Garcia (left) and festival goers at Middle of Nowhere Festival (right) back in 2025. Photos: Courtesy of Garcia

Hidden behind Iowa corn and soybean fields is a hip-hop and arts festival that aims to show diversity in music, art and community in small-town Iowa.

Driving the news: Middle of Nowhere festival is hosting its third annual event Saturday at The Cellar Winery in Madrid.

State of play: Siriaco Garcia, the festival's founder, says the event is meant to break stereotypes about rural Iowa, showing there's an audience for hip-hop, graffiti art and diversity everywhere.

What's new: This year's event includes headliner and indie hip-hop artist Naethan Apollo.

A new "mini mural maze" will also include local art and feed into a cornfield where people can take photos.
The lineup also includes the festival's first Spanish-speaking performer.

The intrigue: The name "Middle of Nowhere" is a play on the phrase, "Now Here" — signifying that rural Iowa is a place that matters right now, rather than being overlooked.

If you go: 1-9pm, 2183 320th Street, Madrid. Free!

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Rural Iowa festival brings hip-hop, arts to small town

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