Bunbury Music Festival 2017
Cincinnati, Ohio
June 2, 3, and 4, 2017
What happens when you combine four stages, over fifty bands, and roughly 50,000 people on a beautiful stretch of land along the Ohio River in Cincinnati? The amazingly fun and beautiful Bunbury Music Festival 2017.
Bee Here ● Bee You ● Bee Free at the Bunbury Music Festival 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio
1. The Music, Obviously!
Consisting of an interesting compilation of mellow rock, absolute rock, electronic, and rap, the diversity in sound at Bunbury this year was loved and welcomed by the crowd as there was a new vibe to experience with every set. Some definite highlights were:
Jared Leto of Thirty Seconds to Mars at Bunbury Music Festival 2017
- Biggest Surprise Hit: NF. Whoa, where did this guy come from and how do we download? One rapper and one drummer is all it took to turn a surprised crowd into excited fans. Must see again live! (Check out the song Therapy Session in the meantime.)
- Best Mixer: Flogging Molly. Throwing in some killer Irish tunes in the midst of this festival was a genius move. “Music is the art which is most nigh to tears and memory.” – Oscar Wilde
- Most Fun New Band: Dreamers. High energy, good sound, and great to watch, these guys make you want to find that river of champagne they sing about.
- A Top Talent: Civil Twilight. The band attracted and kept attracting a large mid-day crowd as they played amazing originals and threw in a cover of Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song at the end.
- The Greats: The Shins, Death Cab for Cutie, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Muse, AFI, The 1975, and absolutely every band that played at Bunbury. The compilation of talent was simply superb.
The Shins at Bunbury Music Festival 2017
AFI at Bunbury Music Festival 2017
The gorgeous riverfront location of the Bunbury Music Festival 2017
2. The Stunningly Beautiful Setting
The Bunbury Music Festival 2017 was set on a gorgeous framework of windy walkways amidst a plush setting of trees and beautiful landscaping on the riverfront of Cincinnati’s Ohio River within two back-to-back parks: Sawyer Point Park and Yeatman’s Cove. The views from the concert offered a beautiful combination of the city, surrounding suburbs, bridges to Kentucky, and boats along the waterfront. Absolutely gorgeous!
3. Location, Location, Location
Cincinnati has quite a bit to offer in terms of a fine selection of restaurants, bars, breweries, and suburbs in both Ohio and Kentucky. The Bunbury Music Festival 2017 is located downtown with easy Uber and Lyft access to areas such as Over-the-Rhine (and its Brewing Heritage Trail), Mount Adams, Bellevue, Covington, and lots more. Plenty of opps to eat, drink, and be merry!
Token bee at the beautiful Bunbury Music Festival 2017
4. The Mellow Vibe
Bee Here ● Bee You ● Bee Free was the theme to the Bunbury Music Festival 2017 and it managed to attract a crowd that melodiously worked together likes bees in a colony. No issues to be seen or heard as in between sets friends played hacky sack or cornhole, a group of people invited others to participate in sitting under a periodically blown up multi-colored parachute like we did in grade school, and about half the attendees wore Chuck Taylors (a shoe worn by the naturally easy-going types, it seems). Attendees of all ages seemed to buzz in harmony at Bunbury. Bee chill!
Relaxing on inflatable loungers at Bunbury Music Festival 2017
Much needed shady reprieve at the Miller Lite bar at Bunbury Music Festival 2017
5. Excellent Amenities
The essential comforts and conveniences adding to the allure of fun and enjoyment at Bunbury Music Festival 2017 were:
- Food Vendors and Food Trucks From pizza to sandwiches to noodles, we ate our way through the festival one scrumptious bite at a time.
- The Beer Garden. Tons of craft beer options? Yes, please! Thank you Southern Tier for the Lemon Drop Sun.
- The Miller Lite truck-bar-thing. In between sets, this was a perfect shady spot to relax and knock back a cold lite or shandy.
- Misting Stations. Since the only downfall that weekend was the extreme temperature (in other words, it was as hot as hell), the misting stations offered much needed reprieve!
- Several Water Stations for refilling water bottles.
- Lots and lots of Phone Charging Stations. Thank you ever so!!
6. The Impressive Organization
With the performances perfectly timed and the exceptional combination of musical acts, food and drink vendors, staff assistance, amenities, and setting, one must wonder, how was this festival put together so well? Huge praises to the Bunbury Music Festival 2017 organizers!
7. Keeping the Buzz Alive
Thankfully, Bunbury is an annual event, and assuredly everyone is looking forward to next year already. See ya in 2018, Cincy!
Muse at Bunbury Music Festival 2017
Great new band Dreamers at Bunbury Music Festival 2017
Balloons!! during the Thirty Seconds to Mars set at Bunbury Music Festival 2017
Matty Healy of The 1975 at Bunbury Music Festival 2017
Steven McKellar of Civil Twilight at Bunbury Music Festival 2017
James Mercer of The Shins at Bunbury Music Festival 2017
Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie at Bunbury Music Festival 2017
Jared Leto in a magical mystery outfit at Bunbury Music Festival 2017
Davey Havok of AFI at Bunbury Music Festival 2017
An AFI Roadie to the rescue at Bunbury Music Festival 2017
The crowd at Bunbury Music Festival 2017
Wonderful article that covered this festival in a unique and fun-to-read way. The pictures were stunning!!!!!!!!!
Excellent! Thank you so much!!!
Awesome pictures and article! I feel like I was there!! And I need one of those inflatable chairs–great tip!
Thank you, thank you! I need one, too!