Goal to make Tahoe Heartbeat Festival in South Lake Tahoe a family-friendly legacy event

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Paul Reder has been part of the South Shore entertainment world for 33 years since first joining High Sierra after college and managing Lily's Nightclub. He went on from there, working through the ranks at Caesars Tahoe and Caesars Entertainment to the top, booking the acts - getting to know the business from bottom to top.

Reder has been based for decades in the South Lake Tahoe area while producing concerts and national tours around the globe with over 3,500 concerts and production shows in the US, Canada, United Kingdom, China, and Australia.

He started The Loft in the Heavenly Village and has brought numerous festivals to the lake including this weekend's Bluegrass & Beyond Festival and the 5th annual Lake Tahoe Reggae Festival.

Now he is focused on a "legacy event," one that will last long after he retires.

The Tahoe Heartbeat Festival is that event.

Matt Levitt, the owner of Tahoe Blue Vodka, brainstormed and came up with the idea, then called Reder to see how it could happen. Parker Alexander, the owner of Tahoe Heartbeat Apparel, provided the name.

"Heartbeat is the spirit," said Reder of the August 20th event.

Spread out over the beautiful grass at South Lake Tahoe's community fields, he and other local businessmen have created an event that incorporates music, art, and culture, "something that everyone would be proud of."

"I wanted to create something about giving back," said Reder.

He was also happy to do a festival on real grass and not truck-in turf as he does for the parking lot festivals at Hard Rock Tahoe.

The festival is at the location of the old Snow Globe, an electronic music festival whose sound penetrated the nighttime sky and affected neighborhoods over the three days. Reder wants to assure the community this is a family-style benefit concert and it will be over at 10 p.m.

"I'm extremely conscious of the sound," said Reder. "The last thing I want for people is for them to be negatively impacted."

He said he has had a lot of support so far from the South Lake Tahoe community. Reder said they tell him how happy they are to see an experience being created that will gather 3,000 people for an afternoon and evening on one stage on the grass.

The "mellow" lineup is full of internationally known artists. Ozomatli, a six-piece band playing primarily Latin, hip hop, and rock music, played for Reder at Caesars Tahoe. They ended the show with the horn section walking through the casino.

"They are a fun vibe," said Reder.

Many are excited about Thievery Corporation on the line-up. Even though they are labeled electronic music, their sounds are not neighborhood-penetrating and they describe themselves as a mix of elements of dub, acid jazz, reggae, Indian classical, Middle Eastern music, hip hop, electronica, and Brazilian music, including bossa nova.

The community aspect is what Reder says they are excited about. A portion of ticket sales goes to the Tahoe Fund for their financial support of projects that protect Lake Tahoe. The net profit of all Tahoe Blue Vodka sales goes to the Tahoe Fund as well.

Four hundred parking spots on the Lake Tahoe Community Campus will be available for festival attendees to prepay for with their ticket purchases. Reder said they are encouraging people to use the bike valet that will be set up, walk, or use public transit. He is also working on other locations for parking so people can be shuttled over to the college.

"Our goal is for a light footprint," said Reder.

There will be food trucks at the festival along with beverage booths. The food and drink will be distributed with environmentally conscious cups, plates, and utensils.

Reder is looking for local vendor booths and artists interested in participating. Contact him at info@PREntertainment.net.

For ticket information, visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/goodvibez/events/tahoe-heartbeat-festival-45561 and for more information, visit https://tahoeheartbeatfestival.com/.