The Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies have discouraged some musicians from coming to the Treefort Music Fort this year.
Each year, the festival attracts a lot of international talent. Treefort director Eric Gilbert said this time around, two artists were denied visas. Others have stayed away amid uncertain and slow visa processes.
“I know of a few that have said it blatantly to me 'We're just going to focus on other areas until you Americans figure your stuff out’,” he said.
Visas issued for established bands can last several years, but new visas are harder to get, Gilbert said, adding established musicians were easier to book for this year.
“So there's still international artists touring in the country and playing our festival. But if that prolongs for many more years, those numbers could go down.” he said.
The festival works with a lot of emerging artists and in recent years, it’s focused on building relationships with Latin American musicians. In 2025, eight bands from Latin America performed at Treefort while this year only one will attend.
This is Treefort’s 14th annual festival. Bands will be playing across venues in downtown Boise until Sunday.
