This past weekend, tens of thousands of music fans gathered in Piedmont Park to enjoy Atlanta’s icoinic annual music festival, Music Midtown. The event featured music, food, alcohol, sunshine, a Ferris wheel and games, allowing Atlantans to enjoy their last weekend of official summertime.
The two-day festival featured headlining acts Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam. Overall, the festival’s second year returning to the park seemed to be a success, selling out tickets for Saturday’s event. $3 bottles of water and $10 beers kept concert-goers hydrated—there were also free hydration stations for the frugal concert-goers to fill up their water bottles.
If you were unlucky enough to have only brought plastic money, about one out of six ATM’s were working. As if the 30-minute waits weren’t painful enough, the ATM added a four-dollar usage fee to your withdraw.
Once cash was in hand, the concert-goer could peruse through a variety of food trucks at the event. New twists on festival food such as burritos, BBQ, and lobster rolls were available, as well as the classic staples of funnel cake and corn dogs.
During the daytime, music fans sought shelter in the shade of the park’s many trees along the pathways. Reminiscent of a particular French impressionist painting, lounging fans scattered across the grassy hillsides on Saturday afternoon.
The Atlanta Bike Coalition offered free bike valet parking to raise awareness and make life easier for those who arrived to the park on their bicycles. By evening, the park was teeming with visitors, filling the field in Piedmont Park with a sea of bobbing heads and waving arms.
Local Atlanta artist Ludacris sat down to chat on Saturday with some local Atlanta media, including The Signal.
“I can’t tell you where the future of hip hop is going…I wish I could,” Ludacris said. “People are always branching off, making their own kinds of music. Only the future will tell, but I’m excited for it.”
Ludacris also offered advice to student musicians trying to make it in the industry: “Stay passionate and stay hungry.”
As far as performing at Music Midtown, the local artist touched on the fact that he loves festivals because of the variety of music and fans.
“These are people who have love and respect for different music,” Ludacris said. “This is the city I was started with so I’m glad to bring it back.”
By Miles Keenlyside | Opinions Editor
Leah Jordan | Associate Living Editor
