Annual Virgin Mobile festival made free

June 24, 5:48 AMDC Live Music ExaminerChristina Lee

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Months of questions, rumors and speculation about whether this year's Virgin Mobile Festival would even go on have led to a much bigger surprise than most expected: it's free.

The newly branded Virgin Mobile FreeFest is a downsized version, held over one day instead of two and moved to Columbia, Md.'s Merriweather Post Pavilion from Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course. But with multiple stages and a dance tent set up, the new venue should hold about 35,000 ticket holders, compared to about 60,000 last year.

“In times of economic challenges and daily sacrifices, we wanted to throw a fantastic party so people could let loose and have a great time – on us,” said Richard Branson, Virgin Group founder and president, in a statement.

Blink-182 and Weezer will headline this year's festival on August 30. Other acts scheduled to appear are Franz Ferdinand, Girl Talk, Jet, Public Enemy, Mates of State, Taking Back Sunday, The Bravery, The Hold Steady, The National, St. Vincent, Wale, Danny Howells, Holy F*ck, Lee Burridge and Pete Tong.

Virgin Mobile customers and past festival patrons get first dibs on tickets through e-mail tomorrow and Friday, while the remaining will be available to the public through Ticketmaster.com Saturday, 10 a.m. No convenience charge will made to those who pick them up at Merriweather Post Pavilion or 9:30 Club.