Dover is hosting the huge Phish Mondegreen Festival this weekend, drawing tens of thousands, several of whom will likely be first-time visitors to the Capital City.
The city is bracing for over 45,000 revelers who are coming from all around the U.S. to hang out with the iconic jam band Phish as they headline four sets at the group's 11th self-produced festival.
Here's what Phish fans need to know, and some places within about 15 minutes of driving distance where revelers can buy essential items, before heading to Mondegreen in The Woodlands of Dover Motor Speedway from Thursday, Aug. 15, to Sunday, Aug. 18:
Wawa & Royal Farms open 24 hours during Mondegreen Festival
There are a couple of 24/7 spots in Dover where Phish fans can grab snacks and food.
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Wawa isn't your average convenient store. This famous store, which was shouted out on HBO's "Mare of Eastown," sells food for every meal of the day like breakfast hoagies, quesadillas, cheesesteaks, pizza and much more.
- Wawa North Dupont (2800 N. Dupont Highway, Dover)
- Wawa South Dupont (298 S. Dupont Highway, Dover)
- Wawa Forest Street (1450 Forest St., Dover)
Royal Farms is a big rival to Wawa and sells hot and cold sandwiches, too. But Royal is known for their popular fried chicken, chicken tenders and breaded potato wedges.
- Royal Farms South Dupont (295 S. Dupont Highway, Dover)
- Royal Farms Saulsbury Road (293 S. Saulsbury Road, Dover)
- Royal Farms North Dupont (5456 N. Dupont Highway, Dover)
What restaurants are near Phish Mondegreen Festival?
There's no shortage of restaurants near The Woodlands. While this certainly isn't all of them, here are some spots to get you started:
- Yukon Korean BBQ & Sushi Bar (865 N. Dupont Highway, Dover)
- Chick-fil-A (1440 N. Dupont Highway, Dover)
- Panera Bread (545 N. Dupont Highway, Dover)
- Chipotle (1141 N. Dupont Highway, Dover)
- La Tonalteca (245 S. Dupont Highway, Dover); Mexican restaurant
- Mama Mia Pizza and Grill (4105 N Dupont Highway, Dover)
- LongHorn Steakhouse (505 N. Dupont Highway)
- Grotto Pizza (1159 N. Dupont Highway, Dover)
- Popeyes (677 N. Dupont Highway, Dover)
Grocery stores near Phish Mondegreen Festival
- Lidl (150 N. Dupont Highway, Dover)
- Aldi (10 N. Dupont Highway, Dover)
- Target (148 John Hunn Brown Road, Dover)
- Safeway (190 John Hunn Brown Road, Dover)
- Redner's North Dover (88 Salt Creek Drive, Dover)
- Redner's West Dover (25 Greentree Drive, Dover)
- Food Lion (1030 Forrest Ave. Suite 106, Dover)
Dover hotel cancels on Phish fans:It happened just days before Mondegreen Festival
What Pharmacy is near Phish Mondegreen Festival?
- CVS (11 N. Dupont Highway, Dover)
- CVS Forest Street (988 Forest St., Dover)
- Rite Aid (41 Greentree Drive, Dover)
- Safeway (190 John Hunn Brown Road, Dover)
- Walmart (36 Jerome Drive, Dover)
- Target (148 John Hunn Brown Road, Dover)
What hardware stores are near Phish Mondegreen Festival?
- Home Depot (801 N. Dupont Highway, Dover)
- Lowe’s (1450 N. Dupont Highway, Dover)
- Ace Hardware (321 A Independence Blvd.,Dover)
How is Firefly Music Festival tied to The Woodlands of Dover?
The Woodlands has been the site of Firefly, an annual event that's drawn tens of thousands of guests since it started in 2012. Attendance peaked with over 90,000 fans in 2015. Over the years, the event has featured multiple stages (north of six) and attracted a number of big names like Paul McCartney, Eminem, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd and many others. Firefly has been on hiatus since 2022 with promoters saying they needed to recalibrate.
What events are The Woodlands of Dover known for?
Each year NASCAR fans camp out in The Woodlands to see their favorite drivers race at Dover Motor Speedway, formerly Dover International Speedway, and nicknamed the Monster Mile. The Speedway leases The Woodlands. There's Firefly too. The site also has hosted Firefly's country spinoff named Big Barrel for a one-year run that attracted headliners Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood.
Where are The Woodlands of Dover?
The Woodlands are in Dover, Delaware, a rural area off the main Route 1 highway. The festival grounds are on a countryside, but the space isn't in the middle of nowhere. Civilization is only about a 15-minute drive. Within that driving radius festivalgoers will find lots of businesses like Walmart, Target, gas stations (Wawa), grocery stores (Safeway, Redner's), restaurants (Chipotle, Grotto Pizza, etc.) and the Dover Mall.
What are the festival hours for Phish Mondegreen Festival?
The festival opens at noon on Thursday, Aug. 15. The concert venue opens 90 minutes before the first scheduled set time each day. At the moment, this means the concert venue opens at 5 p.m. (as Phish plays each night at 6:30 p.m.) from Thursday, Aug. 15, to Sunday, Aug. 18.
The Foundation Lounge opens at 3:30 p.m. each day and closes one hour after the music ends each night.
How much are Phish Mondegreen Festival tickets?
Mondegreen's general admission starts at $150 per day; $450 covers access for all four days. If you're bringing a vehicle, you also must buy a camping or parking vehicle pass (one per car or RV). Single-day parking passes start at $20.
Where is the Phish Mondegreen Festival?
Mondegreen is located in The Woodlands of Dover Motor Speedway (1131 N. Dupont Highway, Dover) from Thursday, Aug. 15, to Sunday, Aug. 18. For more info, visitmondegreen.phish.com. '
If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporterAndre Lamaratalamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, atdelawareonline.com/newsletters.
