The Forecastle Festival is canceled for 2023. Here's what to know
The Forecastle Festival is taking a break.
The Louisville-based festival announced Friday that it will be "taking a pause" in 2023 to "strategize and determine the best path forward for the festival."
"It's incredible to see what this festival has become and how the Louisville community has grown around it the past 20 years," organizers wrote in a statement. "We are grateful for your loyalty and support over the years and will come back to you with updates. We hope to share more good times in the future."
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Forecastle is Louisville's longest-ever outdoor music festival and was held on May 27-29 this year at Waterfront Park after a two-year hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. The event celebrated Forecastle's 20th anniversary with multiple stages and a spectacular lineup of artists including Grammy-winning rapper Tyler, The Creator, psychedelic rock powerhouse Tame Impala, Grammy-nominated Louisville native Jack Harlow plus Rufus Du Sol, Phoebe Bridgers, Porter Robinson, Clairo, 6lack, Black Pumas, Still Woozy, Lane 8, Alison Wonderland, Quinn XCII, Oliver Tree, Earl Sweatshirt, 100 Gecs and more.
Forecastle representatives declined to release additional information about the 2023 festival cancellation.
Deborah Bilitski, executive director for Waterfront Park, said the park has "enjoyed a wonderful partnership with Forecastle over the years.""We look forward to working with them as they readjust," she said. "We love Forecastle and would love to see it return and continue to be the fixture in the community it has been."
Nearly 75,000 spectators attended the three-day music festival, which was expected to have a $7.4 million economic impact on the Louisville area. From top-notch headliners (we're looking at your rooftop entrance, Jack Harlow!) to sunny skies, good food and great tunes, the 2022 festival was nothing short of pitch-perfect.
Louisville Tourism later confirmed the actual economic impact from this year's festival was $9.1 million.
“Louisville Tourism supports and respects the difficult decision announced by festival organizers and know it was not one made lightly," Louisville Tourism CEO and President Cleo Battle said in a statement. "Louisville is very supportive of our homegrown festivals and the Forecastle Festival can certainly be credited with putting our city on the musical map, positioning us to reach a national audience. Not only does this impact our music scene, but it is a significant economic loss as well. We look forward to welcoming them back in the future and appreciate their contributions in elevating Louisville’s musical brand.”
The feel of the festival this year was a joy-filled celebration, even under the gloomy grey clouds on its first day. Guests roamed between the festival's three stages and across a large temporary bridge built just for the festival to make it easier for music fans to move over the park's water feature, which separated the stages. The festival kicked off with Jack Harlow's buddies "The Homies," who opened for him during a few of his five concerts during his "No Place Like Home" tour in December in Louisville. Harlow himself headlined the festival Friday.
Guests at Forecastle "embraced the weird" and the wet conditions Friday gave way to a sunny, mild Saturday and crowds for artists like Phoebe Bridgers, a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles who was among the biggest names at this year's festival, and headliner Tame Impala. By the festival's final day, a great majority of visitors sported bikini tops, chains, and glitter in full festival fashion and lounged on the grass in between performances by pop duo Mob Rich, Bangladeshi-American electronic music producer Jai Wolf and more. Sunday's headliners Tyler, the Creator, and Black Pumas brought the event to a roaring finish.
This story may be updated.
Reach reporter Dahlia Ghabour at dghabour@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Forecastle 2023 is canceled. What to know about the music festival
