Grateville Dead Fest is an outdoor music and arts festival in Louisville, Kentucky catering to fans of the band Grateful Dead at the Brown Forman Amphitheater in Waterfront Park, overlooking the scenic Ohio River and boat docks.[1] The festival typically includes two-to three days of jam band music by regional artists from the Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio areas.[2] The venue includes food and beverage vendors, folk art vendors, local breweries and typically supports some cause[3] each year to which a portion of the proceeds are donated.[4] The event also supports the Waterfront Development Corporation and City of Louisville.
| Grateville Dead Fest | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Variety |
| Location(s) | Louisville Waterfront Park Louisville, Kentucky |
| Years active | 2015–19, 2021– |
| Founders | Dennie Humphrey and Ashley Angel |
| Website | www |
History
editIn 2015 local Louisville entrepreneur and producer Dennie Humphrey and co-founder Ashley Angel produced the very first Grateville Dead Tribute in honor of the late Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead on Garcia's birthday August 1. After leaving Abbey Road on the River several weeks before when Ashley said, "Why isn't there a Grateful Dead on the River?" prompting Humphrey, who also co-founded the GonzoFest music festival at Waterfront Park and had experience putting the events together.[5]
Including talents like Tyrone Cotton, Hyryder, Hot Iron Skillet, Vessel, Born Cross-Eyed and the Louisville Merry Pranksters, the event became a success, drawing a large crowd of over 2,000 people its first year to the Brown Forman Amphitheater despite a very small advertising campaign and little planning. From conception to opening day was only thirty days and the organizers didn't expect a large turnout. The event gained local notability and the founders have continued the event annually including the addition of "halfstep" shows consisting of a smaller show in the winter to promote and announce the summer festival dates.
The event returned in 2016,[6] 2017,[7][8] and again in 2018.[9][10] In 2017 organizers included the addition of all-night camping for festival goers.[4]
The festival was on hiatus in 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It returns in 2021.
References
edit- ^ "Grateville Dead Official Website". Grateville Dead. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- ^ Havens, Sara. "Move over Abbey Road … GrateVille Dead is the new tribute festival in town". Insider Louisville. Archived from the original on July 30, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
- ^ "GRATEVILLE DEAD FESTIVAL!!". Strive 502. Jul 28, 2017.
- ^ a b Gibson, Kevin (July 26, 2017). "GrateVille Dead 2017 adds camping to the experience". Insider Louisville. Retrieved July 26, 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Miller, John (3 Aug 2015). "THE GRATEVILLE DEAD COMES TO LOUISVILLE". Louisville Magazine. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- ^ Smith, Ethan. "GrateVille Dead 2016". Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- ^ "GrateVille Dead Music Festival 3rd Year". Grateful Web. 2017-05-21.
- ^ Puckett, Jeffrey Lee (2017-07-25). "GrateVille Dead festival leads Louisville's top 5 shows, July 27-Aug. 2". Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
- ^ Alvey, Rebecca (2017-07-27). "Deadheads welcomed to the fourth annual GrateVille Dead music festival". Insider Louisville. Retrieved 2019-01-31.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Hussain, Zamirah. "Staffpicks: Grateville Dead 2018". LEO Weekly. Retrieved 2019-01-31.