On Sunday, May 24th, RumpFest is coming to the Highlands. Griffin Paulin, Executive Chef and Co-Owner of Rumplings, is partnering with James Morris, of the nearby apparel store Sole Foundation, to bring live music, great food and summer festival fun to Highland Avenue.
Paulin (who spends Monday nights cooking for the wildly popular Ten Tables dining club) has secured the necessary permits to block off Highland Avenue from the alley to Baxter Avenue. On May 24th, 2015, the street will close at 10 a.m. for setup (with help from the Doo Wop Shop) and RumpFest will be open to the public between 1 and 2 p.m. Local bluegrass/cryptofolk band Hound of the Buskervilles will open RumpFest, followed by rock band Ocifer. “They [Ocifer] remind me of Jack Black meets the Chili Peppers from the early ‘80s. They’re like, instantly my favorite Louisville band,” Paulin says. Louisville rapper Jalin Roze will be headlining Rumpfest.
"The Highlands and the [restaurant] industry are synonymous these days, so it makes sense that I should give back to the neighborhood that’s molded me, using the industry I’m in. I grew up in the Highlands. I live in the Highlands. I work on Highland Avenue. It just made so much sense to me to do something for the people of this neighborhood, to give people something to do.”
So...why call it RumpFest? "Well," laughs Paulin. "I was told that the name 'Highland Avenue Block Party' was lazy and not creative at all. So, RumpFest."
