Bunbury Music Festival

As the lineup for 2013 comes out tomorrow, I thought I'd share my piece for year one, and will definitely post an update after year two.

I'll try to keep my hometown pride out of this review and write it as if I'm not a lifelong Cincinnatian.

I'm a man about his music fests, and have been to both camping and non-camping ones, big and small. For a first-time festival in Cincinnati, I was VERY impressed. There is so much that goes into a music fest, both seen and unseen, all of which can be done right and go wrong. I hardly saw any of the latter.

Sawyer Point is a perfect place for Bunbury, for a fest on the waterfront is awesome in many ways. Getting in was a breeze, all volunteers/staff/booth workers were friendly and generally happy to be there, and so were the concert-goers. Shows went on all day and night, and the stages ranged from the main with plenty of space for a lot of viewers, to gradually stepping down to a very small, simple stage tucked away in the grass by the water. The Lindor stage was really cool since it was literally on the edge of the water and the viewing area was the Sawyer Point steps surrounding it.

There were a lot of vendors set up ranging from local restaraunts (Eli's BBQ will not fail you) to shops like Hemptations and Cincy Shirts, and a nice cluster of beer vendors such as Bells, Great Lakes, and more.

The music? I was also impressed in the variety that they brought. I got my fix of many different genres, discovered new music, and all-around couldn't stop smiling at how well of a job my Cincy did at something of this proportion on its initial trial year. My hopes for this year is that they incorporate a bit more art and culture into the design and layout of the fest, for then it will be on it's way to becoming something truly special. In my opinion, a festival's ability to allow you to forget and escape day-to-day reality and immerse yourself into the music and culture of that experience is truly what can make it a lasting success.

Overall, the organization of Bunbury '12 was supurb for a brand new fest, and anyone with half a brain that could see that will be returning again, and will be telling others in the process. Till then, see you at Bunbury!

I am sure the concerts were good. The venue was not. We have a boat. We happened to be out on the boat while they were setting up. Everytime there is a concert in Cincinnati (riverbed, stadiums, parks, wherever) you can take your boat and anchor in the water near and listen. For this event, they ran every boat off, you were not allowed. That is ridiculous. It is a public waterway.

Can't wait for next year! Neon trees ROCKED!