This story has been updated with corrected information about Cincinnati-based DJ collective Departure Lounge.
A new music festival coming to Northern Kentucky will transform a historic tunnel into a concert venue.
Arcade Music Fest will take over several blocks of Covington’s Central Business District Aug. 8 and 9. The event’s debut will feature nearly 80 artists, more than 30 local vendors and a visual art showcase, according to a news release.
The festival will center around Covington’s historic “Arcade” tunnel, which connects West Pike and West Seventh Streets. The tunnel will be transformed into the festival’s main stage, and the festival has taken on arcade motifs for its theme.
“By utilizing a historic passageway in the heart of Covington and with so many great bars centered around the tunnel, incorporating multiple venues was a great opportunity to highlight small businesses around Covington,” said Jared Metz, co-founder of Arcade Music Fest.
Arcade Music Fest’s founders said the festival will be “rooted in community.” Its organizers are hoping to “revive the region’s music scene” following the loss of two of Cincinnati’s staple events.
“Cincinnati’s music scene is thriving in a city that lost its two biggest festivals, Bunbury and MidPoint Music Fest. As musicians, we wanted to curate a large-scale music festival to showcase our wildly eclectic music scene, but in a new way,” Emma Ranney, the other founder of the festival, said.
Bunbury Music Festival‘s last run was in 2019, and the last MidPoint Music Festival was in 2017. Organizers hope Arcade Music Fest will become an annual tradition.
Who’s performing at the festival?
The artists slated to perform at the festival represent different music genres – everything from folk to EDM.
The headliners include Coastal Club, an indie pop group that gets nearly 150,000 listeners monthly on Spotify, and Departure Lounge, a Cincinnati-based DJ collective bringing electronic music to the area with several performers.
See the full list of performers here.
What are the details of the event?
Arcade Music Fest will take place Friday Aug. 8 and Saturday Aug. 9. Live music performances are set for 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on both nights at eight different stages, with after parties going as late as 2:30 a.m. on Friday and 4 a.m. on Saturday.
Access to most of the festival’s vendors and artists are free, but attendees will need VIP tickets to access two of the stages – one of which being the “Arcade” tunnel. Passes are $25 for one day and $45 for two days and are available here.
