This past weekend, the first-ever Evolution Festival welcomed more than 25,000 music fans to Forest Park for a weekend of music, bourbon, and barbecue. After more than a week of miserable weather, the temperatures cooled, clouds moved in, and folks flocked to the park to shop, groove, eat, and enjoy the new fest on the block.
A minor rain delay affected the Day 1 schedule, and the sea of folding chairs made moving around a bit difficult late in the day, but the performers delivered (attendees mentioned Brittany Howard, The Black Crowes, and Brandi Carlile as particular standouts), food and drink lines moved more quickly than expected, and vendors brought out great wares and interesting brand activations.
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“Building an event like this took years of planning and a tremendous amount of effort by an army of dedicated people, and we are grateful for every single one of them,” said Evolution co-executive Producer Joe Litvag in a release declaring the fest a success. “We all had one vision in mind, which was to create an atmosphere that had a great vibe to make people feel welcome and part of a family. Walking around the site both days and talking to fans, the positivity was really palpable.”
SLM‘s concert photographer, Carrie Zukoski, was in Forest Park all weekend capturing the inaugural Evolution Festival. Check out a selection of her photos from the event below, and head to carriezukoski.smugmug.com/ConcertPhotos for even more images from the weekend.
Day One: August 26
Day Two: August 27
