Top 5 Favorite Festival-Related Things

5. Location, Location, Location Forecastle exists in the heart of a major metropolitan city. This poses the potential for disastrous commutes and unavailable parking. Despite the ongoing construction impacting I-64, I was able to commute from my house to the entrance of the festival (8.8 miles- thanks Google maps) in 25 minutes or less. There was minimal traffic and plenty of reasonably priced parking. I scored a spot at Slugger Field on each day of the festival and did not arrive early. A free transportation option. 4. People Watching There also exist several greener options. One could utilize Louisville’s public transportation system (T.A.R.C.), or ride a bicycle and park it free of charge on-site. I will refrain from making any statements about either mode of transportation and the related shortcomings or limitations that may or may not exist in the city of Louisville. There are plenty of great spots around town for people watching with Forecastle becoming one of my recent favorite spots. Let me clear, that when I refer to people watching I don't mean snickering at "hipsters" or people of a different social or economic class. I am referring to observing a creativity and genuine sense of pageantry in the costumes and accompanying signs. Monkeying around at Forecastle Louisville definitely brought its A game. I honestly wish that I had snapped more pictures of the festival goers and slightly fewer of the bands because of the level of artistry involved in some of these get-ups.Did anyone else see the lady in the elaborate black headdress? Stunning. Because why wouldn't you carry a sign featuring James " I don't want your life" Van Der Beek? 3. The Festival Grounds

Artists working on a mural outside of the Forecastle Foundation tent.

The Louisville waterfront has come a hell of a long way over the past 15 years and Forecastle takes full advantage of that when laying out the festival. The stages were placed in an arrangement that maximized close proximity while minimizing sound bleed-over. I’ve been at festivals that require a 10-12 minute hike between main stages, essentially negating the ability to hop between sets. At its most crowded there was probably a 5-7 minute walk between the Boom and Port stages. Despite their close proximity, I noticed very little sound bleed-over, something that often plagues large music festivals. I can recall at Lollapalooza seeing a band stop during the set to bitch about the fact that another artist’s sound was audible.

2. The Louisville Music Media I may be biased but Louisville's thriving music scene is blessed with a hard-working and committed group of music-related media. There are so many talented writers that are true stalwarts of Louisville and its plethora of amazing musicians. It honestly doesn't get much better than spending a weekend hanging out with a bunch of die-hard Louisville music geeks and listening to a diverse selection of live performances. Do yourself a favor and if you haven't already, bookmark these pages (my sincere apologies to anyone I left out): We Listen For You, Backseat Sandbar, The Decibel Tolls, Never Nervous, The undisputed king of Louisville music, Sean Bailey In addition to the placement of stages, I really enjoyed the attention to detail when decorating the grounds. The lifeguard platform, mermaids, sand (which may have been placed by the city to protect the grass), murals, and even the stage names all came together, with the mighty Ohio River in the background, to create a fantastic nautical playland.I may be biased but Louisville's thriving music scene is blessed with a hard-working and committed group of music-related media. There are so many talented writers that are true stalwarts of Louisville and its plethora of amazing musicians. It honestly doesn't get much better than spending a weekend hanging out with a bunch of die-hard Louisville music geeks and listening to a diverse selection of live performances. Do yourself a favor and if you haven't already, bookmark these pages (my sincere apologies to anyone I left out): Louisville MusicCulture Get Out Louisville , and 37 Flood