Portland is no stranger to outdoor music events.
Shows at Thompson’s Point routinely bring as many as 7,500 people to the waterfront venue tucked in behind the transit center near Libbytown, one of Portland’s oldest neighborhoods. In 2012, nearly 15,000 people crowded into the Eastern Prom to see the British stomp/clap posers Mumford & Sons headline an eight-act bill that also included sets from art rocker St. Vincent, L.A. soft-rock powerhouse Haim, and Boston’s own working-class punks, the Dropkick Murphys.
“This is something we want to happen for the next twenty-something years. That’s the goal.”
Tyler Grill, co-founder and managing partner at goodworks entertainment, co-producers of the Back cove music Festival
And back in the day, the Old Port Festival used to pack in thousands for a full day of local art and music, food, crafts and much more. The Old Port Festival, which began back in 1973, ran for 45 years before the organizers pulled the plug after the 2018 event.
The organizers behind the Back Cove Music & Arts Festival, Connecticut natives Tyler Grill, co-founder of GoodWorks Entertainment, and Jordan Wolowitz, owner of Shore Sound Entertainment, are shooting for what they hope will be a similar run.
“Our goal is really to create a Portland-focused festival where all the people who are curating and creating amazing things in Portland get to be a part of it,” Grill said. “We’re hoping to become a long-term fixture in the community. We’re building a festival for Portland, and for Maine, and we hope the people of Maine welcome us for years to come … this is something we want to happen for the next twenty-something years. That’s the goal.”
Grill and Wolowitz, who are both longtime fans of Portland, envision the event, which will be held in Portland’s Payson Park on Saturday, Aug. 2 and Sunday, Aug. 3, as a cross between a destination festival and a neighborhood block party. The music lineup features an astonishing roster of national acts headlined by Jack White, Lord Huron, and The Roots. Other artists include Lucy Dacus, Margo Price, Thee Sacred Souls, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Turnpike Troubadours, and local and regional favorites like the Oshima Brothers and Weakened Friends.
But beyond the marquee names, the festival is designed to celebrate Portland’s creative ecosystem and the people who make it so special.
“We’ve been coming to Portland our entire lives,” Grill said. “It’s one of my favorite places ever. I’ve been trying to convince my wife to move here for a decade. It’s just such a great community. It’s so small but so big at the same time.”
In addition to the music, the grounds at Payson Park will host a curated craft village featuring jewelry, sculpture, handmade goods, and live art installations—all created by Maine-based artists. A food and beverage court will spotlight local chefs, food trucks, microbreweries, and purveyors, giving attendees a chance to sample some of the city’s best culinary offerings.
“You’d have to spend years finding these kinds of places,” Grill said. “But here, you get the landscape, the food, the drinks, the culture, the art — it checks all the boxes.”
And if you’ve wandered by Payson Park over the last few days, you’ve undoubtedly seen the festival infrastructure emerging. Crews have been on site for nearly a week now, putting up fences, pitching tents, and creating the exclusive areas that will let the well-heeled patrons who paid top dollar for VIP treatment enjoy the festival in the style to which they’ve become accustomed, well away from the unwashed masses.
Baxter Boulevard and many of the area streets will be shut down for pretty much the entire weekend, and huge swaths of the park itself are already closed off.
According to a Traffic Advisory published by the City of Portland
Baxter Boulevard will be closed from Vannah Avenue to Bates Street starting Saturday, August 2, at approximately 8:00 AM and will remain closed until late evening on Sunday, August 3, when deemed safe to reopen by City Staff.
Payson Park roads (Arboretum Road, Catafalque Drive, and Inlet Road via Baxter Boulevard) will be closed for the duration of the festival, from Friday afternoon, August 1, to Monday, August 4, at midday, until deemed safe by City Staff. Neighborhood streets (West Kidder Street and Fernald Street) accessing Payson Park will be limited to residents only starting the evening of Friday, August 1, until Monday morning, August 4, when deemed safe by City Staff.
Sound like it’s gonna be a helluva time.
ThatPortlandSound 