Houston, you made it clear a few months back at the overcrowded second annual Free Press Summer Fest that you’re into music festivals; this weekend is your chance to prove it.
Don’t let the monster frighten you; Ghoulsfest is promising to put on a show that will help put Houston music on the map. | Ghoulsfest
The first ever Ghoulsfest will be Saturday, Oct. 30 at Tom Bass Park in Pearland, featuring Bad Brains, We Are Scientists, Macy Gray and Houston’s own Roky Moon & BOLT!, Spain Colored Orange, Tax the Wolf and Fat Tony; it claims to be the most diverse lineup a Houston festival has ever played host to.
Luckily — and unlike the popular Summer Fest — it is scheduled for a cooler time of the year (at least, with respect to Houston’s ridiculous weather).
GhoulsFest’s staff describes it “internally as a mini-fest. It is only a one-day event, (and) the venue only holds 7,000 people; that’s half the size of the Woodlands Pavilion and one-fourth the distance from downtown and (it) only has two stages,” as reported by the Houston Press’ Craig Hlavaty.
Is there really a market in Houston for live music festivals? For the past two years, Summer Fest pleasantly surprised even its most staunch advocates, and Austinites are beginning to worry that Houston’s youth may soon be as in-the-know as they are.
Having lived in Houston for my entire life, it’s a lot of fun to watch this kind of thing unfold. Similar to watching the University of Houston grow and gain national recognition, it’s amazing that just a few years ago, no one paid attention and now we — Houstonians as a whole, as well as UH students — have the attention of the nation.
It may be a bit of a drive for many inside-the-loop Houstonians, but the festival’s organizers feel that it’s worth it.
“Tom Bass Park is a beautiful location for a small outdoor mini-fest. A permanent amphitheatre exists at the park, complete with water fountains and flushing toilets. Because it is outside the downtown area, we are able to offer secure free parking for those who attend the event,” they told Hlavaty. And the extra money you’ll have to spend on gas will be made up for via the event’s free parking.
“Paying for parking at a music festival is unheard of in Europe, and makes no sense to us.”
