Day one of Forecastle wrapped with me covered in a fine layer of dirt carefully sealed by bug spray. I wasn’t sure why everyone was wearing bandanas over their mouths until I found the Ocean Stage. A few hundred folks rocking out to Jai Wolf will definitely kick up some dust.
I was nervous about coming alone and drafted my vampiric, indoor-loving sister to tag along.
The festival took up every inch of Waterfront Park’s sprawling lawn. There’s something for everyone. We found the most relaxed places to be closer to the west entrance, near Kentucky Landing and the Port Stage. String lights in the trees illuminated once the sun went down.
The more excitable crowds were in Party Cove, naturally. And by excitable, I mean raving mermaids. Bodies packed close together, laughing and dancing to the thudding beats of OK Deejays. If you didn’t come coated in glitter, you certainly left with some shimmery accents.
As the sun dropped into the river, it became a take-no-prisoners sort of situation. Before Vance Joy took the Boom Stage, fans relaxed on blankets and grabbed a bite. As it got closer to his performance, more people streamed in, and eventually we were all standing and crammed together like sardines. Not ideal when everyone has been in 90-degree weather all day.
Speaking of eats — we didn’t go hungry. There’s food trucks on food trucks. I imagine if we were dedicated enough (or rich enough) we could’ve tried a good number, but we played it safe (with what was closest to the Boom Stage) and grabbed some amazing fries at La Chandeleur.
My sister and I lounged on our sheet and took in the sights: massive puppets, people in beautiful fish costumes balancing on stilts and festival goers showing off their talents with hula hoops and scarves.
Most importantly, the music was great, and we escaped with minimal sunburn. Now to sleep as much as possible before day two.
