Over the coming weeks, the Wakarusa Music Festival will host regional talent showcases in 20 cities. Multiple bands will compete at these events which will stretch from Wisconsin down to Texas. The winners of each showcase, as determined by the attendees, will be invited to perform at Wakarusa 2008. The regional winners will then compete in an online competition for the right to appear in a more high-profile setting: the Wakarusa Revival stage. The Waka Winter Classic opens in Chicago on Thursday, January 10th at Kinetic Playground, with Mr. Blotto, The Hue, John Wasem and Bill Smith on the bill. The Wakarusa Music Festival will take place in Lawrence, Kansas on June 5-8.