Gazebo Festival @ Waterfront Park - Louisville

May 25th, 2024: Gazebo Festival @ Waterfront Park - Louisville, KY

Photos Courtesy of: Asia Austin

The first inaugural Gazebo Festival kicked off its 2-Day music event this past weekend at Waterfront Park in Louisville, KY, and had the entire city buzzing with excitement. Curated by GRAMMY-nominated rapper and Louisville native Jack Harlow, the festival included a special and unique lineup of music that Harlow stated feels like a chance to express his personal music taste. The month of May is usually very exciting for the city of Louisville with events such as the Kentucky Derby and Forecastle. However, with Forecastle taking a hiatus in 2023, the city was left with a feeling of emptiness and decided the Gazebo Festival would be the perfect solution to bring all of the liveliness back to Louisville on Memorial Day Weekend.

The gates were opened on Day One and fans entered Waterfront Park with excitement built up over the last couple of months. Acts such as Vince Staples, Rich Homie Quan, Larry June, Karrahboo, as well as Louisville natives SHY!!, and Dom Haley graced the stage preparing fans for an electrifying closing set by SZA. After an exhilarating day with good vibes across the park, it was safe to say that the Gazebo Festival would be a staple for the city of Louisville. 

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned for Day Two as Louisville was met with hazardous weather conditions and winds as high as 80 mph which left a bit of damage to the site at Waterfront Park. Fans were left with disappointment as acts such as PinkPanthress, James Savage, Omar Apollo, and a highly anticipated closing set from Jack Harlow did not take place. In response to the cancellation, Gazebo Festival will be sending out full refunds to all Sunday ticket holders and 50% refunds to all 2-day ticket holders. 

Despite the unfortunate circumstances taking place on Sunday, May 26th, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg was very impressed with Harlow’s efforts. “Jack Harlow is an extraordinary Louisvillian who continues to give back to his hometown.”, says Greenberg. Harlow also states that there are many full-circle aspects to the festival and some of those aspects include a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales as well as on-site revenue streams going to different organizations in Louisville through the Jack Harlow Foundation which was established in 2023. 

With Gazebo Festival highlighting Louisville’s underground music scene, there is no doubt that the festival shined a light over the entire city and left a vibrant aura that will have fans and Louisville natives waiting for Gazebo Festival to return for years to come.