Galewoodstock, Galewood neighborhood’s own music festival is back this Saturday with a bigger kids’ area, more food vendors and — the organizers hope — bigger crowds.
The festival was originally launched in 2021 by Galewood Neighbors community organization to help bring the neighbors together and celebrate the relaxation of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. This year’s Galewoodstock features a brand-new lineup of artists. Steve Green, chair of Galewood Neighbors’ Board of Directors, said that he tried to get artists with local connections, such as R&B singer Alicia Ya Yah Townsend, who is from Austin.
The other performers are based in or around Chicago, including Cash Box Kings blues band; The Heartwreckers, a Tom Petty tribute act; Baron von Future, an electro rock band; Edward Carpio y Su Ensamble Latino, a salsa band; DJ D.R.E.A.M; and Ian Leith & the Dozen Buzzing Cousins, an electronic music group.
“We got quite a variety, and it’s a great reflection of our community, because [Galewood] is a very diverse neighborhood,” Green said.
He said that this time around, they doubled the size of the children’s area, expanded the food area and got more Austin area nonprofits as vendors. Local artists will be out selling their wares and doing activities in the kids’ area.
“Local artists [will] come in and give mini-classes on arts and crafts, and kids are able to, even if they’re not very artistically talented, they’re able to create this very fun stuff with the help of local artists,” Green said.
While the tradition started on an ill-omened note – the original festival got rained out mid-way through — the 2022 Galewoodstock went on without any interruptions and attracted more than 1,000 people. Green said that, with the heat dying down and no rain expected, they hope to build on that success and attract a bigger crowd.
Green said that Galewood Neighbors look forward to visitors from both within and outside Galewood.
“We organized it to kind of celebrate the community, because we love Galewood and we want people to know about it, and we want to celebrate the great neighborhood that it is,” he said.
Galewoodstock takes place on Saturday, Aug. 26 from 12 to 8 p.m. in front of Sayre Language Academy, 1850 N. Newland. Admission is free, but attendees are encouraged to give $5 donations.
For more information about Galewoodstock, visit https://galewoodneighbors.org/Galewoodstock
