It seems like every year, more and more reggae music festivals sprout up all over the country, especially in California. However, for the last 11 years and counting, the Yes I Can Summer Meltdown Autism Awareness Art and Music Festival, held at the Santa Clarita Skate Park, has set itself apart from the others by hosting a special all-day gathering for a great cause.

Presented by Yes I Can (YIC), a program connecting peer mentors with students who have a variety of spectrum disorders such as autism and Asperger’s syndrome, the annual Summer Meltdown Festival continues to evolve each year. Members of the YIC program, plan and promote the festival throughout the entire year in order to execute a successful event. Those with and without disabilities do everything from using proper social media tactics to contacting bands, managers, promoters, vendors and stage crew.

Since gaining sponsorship from KROQ three years ago, the festival has seen its audience grow far beyond the Santa Clarita Valley. Just recently, the event’s co-founder, Bret Lieberman, was featured in an interview on Los Angeles’ KCAL 9 for their televised morning show. Accompanying Bret for this historic leap forward in the festival’s existence was Joshlyn Millan, a student from the YIC program, as well as one of the bands performing at this year’s festival, Krooked Treez.

The 2015 festival is set to host nearly 40 different bands along with 30 live artists painting throughout the entire day on three main stages. According to Lieberman, most of the bands and artists have been affected or touched by autism in some way. He adds, “Lots of them have learned about autism or Asperger’s through our music festival and by interacting with the students. This year’s lineup has something for everybody; there is reggae, electronic, rock, rap, hip-hop, funk and more.”

L.A. Weekly recently spoke to Lieberman regarding the festival’s growth throughout the years and why the cause behind the Summer Meltdown means so much to everyone involved.

What makes this year’s Summer Meltdown such a special event compared to those in the past?
Every year is special, but what makes this year extra special is the compassion that we have behind this year’s festival. The students have worked very hard to accomplish all things, even those things that seem near impossible. When we were told that certain bands were not possible, we proved that through commitment and drive anything is possible. [LA Weekly]