No Country’s Guide to Forecastle 2022: 8 Must-See Friday Performances

Louisville’s Forecastle Festival is one of our favorite annual events; a manageably-sized, well-curated, extremely fun and organized festival in a nearby city we love to visit. Returning this week after two years off due to the pandemic, the fest- initially founded in 2002- trades its traditional July timeframe for Memorial Day Weekend, May 27-29, this time around (which, given the brutal summer weather in some prior years, sounds pretty sweet to us), returning once again for three days of music, art, and activism at Waterfront Park.

When announced at the start of the year, we immediately noticed that Forecastle got a bit of a facelift during the pandemic, not only adapting a more modern and trendy aesthetic with their branding, but also with a paired-down, very strong lineup of hip hop, pop, indie, and EDM. Gone are the smallest stage (RIP Port Stage) and the clever but somewhat under-appreciated Party Cove, in favor of a more focused three-stage lineup that makes set-hopping a lot easier, and has virtually no weak spots from top to bottom.

An easy drive for Middle Tennessee residents and a no-brainer for Kentuckians, this is one of our most-highly anticipated events of the season, and, per usual, we want to help you prepare with a daily rundown of some this year’s most exciting artists. Head here for day tickets or weekend passes if you still need ’em, and check out eight of our most-anticipated performances of Forecastle’s Friday below (and be sure to visit Saturday and Sunday too)!

#8: COIN