Ahhh, college moving day. Your new twin-sized bedspread is packed up along with your fashionable back-to-school wardrobe, a crate full of Ramen Noodles and those new curtains your mom picked out for your dorm. Soon it’ll just be you, your expensive textbooks, your new roommate and a whole new city to explore. Most are excited to begin this new venture into adulthood, but what happens when all the unpacking is finished and mom and dad go back home leaving you in an unfamiliar big city?
Louisville is an incredible place full of one-of-a-kind places to go, amazing sights to see, original music to hear and plenty of fun things to do. It’s the only city in Kentucky where you can browse a modern art gallery, walk across the Ohio River and buy a single slice of pizza all at three o’clock in the morning. But how does someone new to Louisville find out about all of the wonders and awes that compose our beautifully imaginative city?
Well for those who don’t read Louisville.com regularly, the creative folks at the Cardshirt Company and Louisville-based musician 1200 have an answer.
You may have heard that these two have partnered to promote the ever eclectic culture of River City and the University of Louisville through their newest project, CARDS Fest. And if you heard that this festival is unlike any Louisville has ever seen before, you heard right.
“We want to make this a city coming together,” said Cardshirt Company president Bob Muntis. “Everyone involved is Louisville-founded, and we have business from all areas coming together for the festival.”
Muntis also hopes students will take advantage of the opportunities they can find at CARDS Fest. “We want to make our [CARDS Fest’s] mission more about the Cardshirt Company’s mission, which is to raise student scholarships and to give students experience in the real world,” Muntis explained.
And while staying true to the promise of its original slogan - “Students rallying together to celebrate the Louisville community” - CARDS Fest has grown from a campus-based festival to a city-wide celebration of homegrown food, local music, original visual artwork by students and Louisville’s endless possibilities. Here are the details.
Everyone’s Favorite Food
You cannot fully understand Louisville’s cuisine culture until you've tried a taste of, well, a little bit of everything. This is why the creators of CARDS Fest have created their own version of Taste of Louisville.
Some of Louisville’s most successful restaurants have signed on to participate in CARDS Fest, including vegan-friendly Dairy Kastle and a few of Louisville’s delicious local pizzeria chains including Spinelli’s.
And in celebration of the university, Griff’s in Cardinal Towne, named after former University of Louisville basketball player, Darrell Griffith (aka Dr. Dunkenstein) will also be there to offer up some of its delicious fare along with Clarksville-based American classic, Texas Roadhouse.
Here's the full list of food vendors:
One name on the roster you might not be familiar with (yet) is The Ville Taqueria. But after trying one of this restaurant’s mind-blowing cilantro lime pesto mahi-mahi tacos, it’s sure to go straight to the top of your favorites list. And when you go back for more, be sure to give them a pat on the back for supporting CARDS Fest with much more than just the cuisine portion of the festival.
“They actually helped in the funding and marketing of CARDS Fest,” Muntis said about The Ville Taqueria. “They even paid for all of our flyers for the event.”
Another name you might not immediately recognize on the list of vendors is BizzyBee Breakfast Delivery. What began as a simple delivery service started by a few University of Louisville business school students has grown into a one-of-a-kind delivery system serving up original recipes for the most important meal of the day. If this business doesn’t catch on in Louisville, what will?
Currently closed, BizzyBee plans to officially reopen in Spring of next year, but you can get a delicious sneak peek of what they have to bring to the table at CARDS Fest!
Everyone’s Favorite Local Musicians
When you’re one of Louisville’s most popular local artists, it’s easy to round up the rest of the local music scene for a festival you’re planning. And no one can prove this better than Jecorey “1200” Arthur. This young musician is a lifelong Louisvillian and a graduate of the University of Louisville, so it’s safe to say he knows his stuff when it comes to planning CARDS Fest.
Here’s the list of performers:
Everyone’s Favorite Original Artwork
CARDS Fest is all about Louisville and its endless opportunities for success. So it only makes sense that the folks behind CARDS Fest would see the festival as an opportunity for local visual artists.
After grabbing a bite to eat and dancing to some original music, attendees can venture into the temporary art gallery, which will feature nothing but artwork presented by University of Louisville students.
“There’s going to be a lot more than just paintings,” Muntis hinted. “There could potentially be an ice sculpture there.”
The first ever CARDS Fest will be held August 29 on the University of Louisville’s main Belknap campus surrounding the Red Barn on the West Plaza and will begin at 5 p.m. Everyone is invited to this event (not just students), and admission is free! For more information about the festival, follow CARDS Fest on Twitter and visit its official website.
Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.com/Astrostar and the sponsors of CARDS Fest.
