Loufest Returns to St. Louis for Second Year
The 2nd annual LouFest music festival will be held August 27-28, 2011 beginning at noon with the final act taking the stage at 8:30 p.m. The central field in Forest Park will hosts 18 local and national acts and thousands of fans.
LouFest was created last year by Brian Cohen and as one of the only festivals in St. Louis that features more than one genre of music. This is one of the only festivals of its kind in St. Louis and was meant to mimic festivals in other cities such as Lollapalooza in Chicago, Illinois or Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee. Last year’s festival drew 8-10 thousand fans.
“I’m excited about LouFest. All the other music festivals in St. Louis only focus on like punk or rock music; this one will have a bunch of different bands. I think it’s going to be really fun,” said junior Jennifer Hoac.
Along with the music, there is also an area where fans can purchase food and souvenirs, and a kids area called Area K, which will feature kid friendly music, games, magic, food and even a rock climbing wall.
“LouFest seems like a really diverse event. There are a lot of different things going on throughout the day and everyone can enjoy it. I’m hoping to attend,” said junior Mohammed Khezri.
LouFest also helps support green living by encouraging all attendees to arrive to the concert by public transportation or foot in order to help save gas and energy. Not only are they green friendly, they’re vender friendly as well. Some venders they supported last year were CLEAR 4G, Fun in the Sun, Just Liv, LilyWhite Designs, Miss Ohio Vintage, Pairabelles, Retro101/CherryBombVintage, Souldier, STL-Style. This makes it easy for attendees to fill their time between shows.
Finally, LouFest will feature high school bands, but these bands have yet to be determined. Twelve area bands will compete for the chance to play on the side stage at LouFest on May 21 at Off Broadway.
Tickets for LouFest are $38 for one day and $64 for both days. The line up for the event is as follows:
Saturday– The Roots, Deerhunter, The Hold Steady, Surfer Blood, Dom, Kings Go Forth, Sleepy Sun, Troubadour Dali, and Jon Hardy and the Public.
Sunday– TV on the Radio, Cat Power, !!!, Das Racist, The Low Anthem, Jumbling Towers, UME, Lost in the Trees, and Old Lights.
Lauren Hasse