With music festivals popping up across the country like food trucks outside of a hipster bar on a Saturday night, it’s hard to decide which one is worth three precious PTO days and half my paycheck. Though Summer 2014 is nearly half over, there is still a host of options to choose from. Will I go regional, like Summerfest in Milwaukee? Or international, like the Osheaga Music Festival in Montreal? Or perhaps chic and urban, like Outside Lands in San Francisco?
The recent trend has been toward music festivals in close proximity to, or within a large city, such as Lollapalooza in Chicago, Made In America in Philly and L.A., and Governor’s Ball in New York City. I’m not a fan of crowded and sweaty, and public-transit jaunts and easily accessible Starbucks franchises don’t engender fond memories like the dusty hippie-love fests of yore—which is why The Hudson Project holds promise. This weekend (July 11-13), the festival launches its inaugural affair at Winston Farm, the bucolic site of Woodstock ’94 in Saugerties, N.Y.
While I certainly have the option to glamp in comfort with luxurious bed linens and embroidered throw pillows in a Safari-style tent, far from the common folk, it seems as though The Hudson Project promotes a spirit of community, much like its festival ancestors. Due to the fact that it’s in the middle of nowhere, camping space is plentiful, and pitching a tent is encouraged. Against the geologically striking backdrop of the Catskill Mountains, the festival features more than 85 acts spanning multiple genres, and is also promoting collective peace/love/happiness through onsite art installations, artisanal food and local craft beer, plus free yoga, meditation and hooping workshops. Like most music festivals in the time of YouTube and Spotify, The Hudson Project went for a diverse lineup, catering to ravers, rockers, hipsters, hip-hop lovers and jam-band enthusiasts alike, with headliners including Modest Mouse, the Flaming Lips, Bassnectar, Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dog and Matt And Kim. While there is sure to be a few first-year glitches, The Hudson Project appears to have a lot—including history—on its side.
—Maureen Coulter
