Bass booms beneath knots of highway twisting above the Ohio River. The pulse of Forecastle Festival resonates throughout Louisville, Kentucky, beckoning listeners from across the country to brave the blazing July heat for three days (July 15 -17) of music and local flair. The Forecastle Festival 2016 lineup included old favorites like Ryan Adams and Death Cab for Cutie, whose performances cast a haze of nostalgia on the millennial sea. Acts like Danny Brown, Big Gigantic and Hudson Mohawke inspire eruptions of chaos in front of the Ocean Stage, where the sound is trapped between an interstate bridge and vibrating earth.
Cargo shorts, flower crowns, and body glitter pour through the gates. They visit local vendors lining the perimeter of the park, sampling the spectrum of Louisville flavor. They pass various lifeguard towers, where volunteer “Party Guards” blow the whistle at anyone who isn’t dancing from their post.
The local Squallis Puppeteers operate gigantic, surreal puppets of Louisville legends like Hunter S. Thompson and Colonel Sanders. They wave to a woman dressed as a fish on stilts. The famished and faint flock to the shaded “Party Cove,” where DJ’s flip vinyl atop a beached boat that serves as a blank canvas for several painters. Dancing mermaids unleash man-made fog that pours between the trees and wraps around the grayscale mural. Melting festival-goers submerge themselves in the stair-step fountains that locals refuse to touch.
Forecastle Festival stands out with its mission-driven mayhem. Volunteers represent their local non-profits at the taps, applying their earned tips to the organization’s cause. Sustainability is also a focus. The festival is proud of its green power sources, attention to waste management, and complimentary bike valet. Guests can fill their empty bottles at various water stations to cut back on disposed plastic bottles, and Sierra Nevada’s beer pours from a solar-powered trailer. One dollar from every ticket is donated to the Forecastle Foundation, which focuses on land conservation efforts across the world.
Since 2003, Forecastle Festival has grown from a locals-only gathering in tiny Tyler Park to a force that draws over 60,000 people to the shores of the Ohio River. Despite the dramatic change in size, the festival pulls the entire city together, offering an authentic experience despite corporate management. As the sun sets beyond Louisville’s iconic bridges, the crowd disperses into the city, where unique music venues host official Forecastle late-night shows with artists like Dr. Dog and the legendary, RJD2. The festival’ s founder, J.K. McKnight, waits in line with everyone else, sharing the story of his mission and the global impact of his dream.
