Free Press Summer Fest

Free Press Summer Fest
Bicycle hangs on a fence at Houston's Free Press Summer Festival 2012.
Genre	Folk, Country, Blues, Folk rock, Indie folk, Alternative Rock, Hip hop, Electronic dance music
Dates	First week in June
Frequency	Annually
Location(s)	Eleanor Tinsley Park Houston, Texas, United States
Years active	6
Inaugurated	2009
Attendance	100,000+
Patron(s)	Free Press Houston
Website
www.freepresssummerfest.com

The Free Press Summer Festival is an annual two-day music festival held in Houston, Texas at Buffalo Bayou's Eleanor Tinsley Park. The third annual event featured more than 160 national and local acts on eight stages and took place June 4–5, 2011 with a two-day attendance of over 60,000.^[1] FPSF IV was held June 2–3, 2012. FPSF V was held June 1–2, 2013.

Other activities include fireworks, interactive art installations, a paint slide, music workshops, a 30-foot water wall, and an off-site after party.

The festival was started to emphasize local musical performers, visual arts, and artists. A recycling program, carbon off-set credits and a partnership with the Texas Campaign for the Environment are implemented to help this festival become a greener experience.

The festival is organized by Free Press Houston, a local independent newspaper and Pegstar.net Presents, a local concert promotion company.^[2]

Helping The Environment

A recycling plan (with assistance from Little Joy Recycling) is implemented to sort aluminum, plastic, paper and glass. A free bottle of water is given to anyone who recycles 10 plastic bottles. All carbon output is balanced by carbon offset credits. Carpooling and bicycling to the festival are encouraged. Over 2000 attendees biked to the 2009 festival.

Fancy Pants Tent Reconsideration

In February 2011, a new pass was introduced that would have granted access to a premium side stage viewing area and entry to a limited access electronic music tent. The Fancy Pants Tent was intended to host exclusive performances by electronic musicians and provide complimentary bar drinks and Hors d'œuvres, free massages, and meet and greets.

Due to complaints about the high cost of Fancy Pants passes, festival organizers removed the Fancy Pants ticket tier from StubWire in April 2011 and announced that all festival attendees would be able to watch the Fancy Pants acts.

2009 FPSF

The 2009 festival was held August 8–9 with an attendance of approximately 30,000. A portion of the proceeds went to Project Row Houses (a community non-profit that is responsible for restoration, art, and social activism in Houston's Third Ward since 1991).

The lineup for FPSF 2009^[3] was:

2010 FPSF

The 2010 festival was held June 5–6 with an attendance of over 45,000. A portion of the proceeds went to Buffalo Bayou Partnership (a non-profit corporation that is responsible for developing and facilitating improvements to the Buffalo Bayou greenway system).

The lineup for FPSF 2010^[4] was:

2011 FPSF

The festival was held June 4–5, 2011 with a two-day attendance of over 60,000. A portion of the proceeds went to Houston Tomorrow (a nonprofit organization founded in 1998 to explore urban issues and to inform the discussion of growth in the Houston region).

The lineup for FPSF 2011^[5] was:

2012 FPSF

The festival was held June 2–3, 2012 with an estimated attendance of 92,000.^[6] Tickets for FPSF 2012 ranged in price from $75 to $115.^[7]

The lineup^[8] was:

2013 FPSF

The festival was held on June 1–2, 2013 in Eleanor Tinsley Park. This marks the festival's first edition to be completely sold out.^[10]

The lineup was:

2014 FPSF

The 2014 festival was held on May 31 - June 1, 2014.

The line-up was announced on Wednesday, February 12, 2014 at 10am CST.^[11]

The venue was closed and the first day was evacuated at about 1:00pm due to bad weather and lightening. Many acts were bumped or rescheduled with no notice when gates were rumored to be reopened at 3:30pm. Upon return many acts had sound trouble. Weather and construction at the park caused many stages to be moved to the Allen Parkway tarmac, often creating congestion and competing for sound. Partial refunds were not offered.

The 2014 FPSF lineup consisted of:

2015 FPSF

The 2015 festival will be held on June 6 - June 7, 2015.

The line-up was announced on Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 10am CST.^[12]

The current lineup is:

Sponsors

As of 2013, the festival was supported by Absolut Vodka, Aio Wireless, American Apparel, Barefoot Refresh Wines, Budweiser, Cracker Jack'D, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Honest Tea, Houston Chronicle 29-95, ikan, IKEA, MKT Bar, Kroger, Lowe's, Red Bull, Seidio, and the Texas Lottery.^[13]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Free Press Summer Fest.

• Official Site
• News Clip
• HoustonPress Article