BUKU Music Festival took over the river banks of New Orleans this past weekend, filling the air with music from Virtual Self, Bassnectar, REZZ, Migos, Illenium, and more. Fans flooded the venue leading it to be completely sold out. Festival attendees didn’t have a care in the world as they enjoyed their favorite artists dominating the large and colorful stages. Local residents, however, were not as happy.
Reports from The Times-Picayune in NOLA, surrounding neighborhoods were overtaken with festival noise. Algiers Point resident Rhonda Melancon stated that, “you could sit inside with the TV on, and still enjoy BUKU Fest. The walls, the floors, the windows were shaking and I live five blocks from the river.”
Living near a festival venue comes with its qualms, but according to Melancon “what was happening last night [at BUKU] was a pure invasion of our own homes.”
Even so, festival producers are not heartless and came forward addressing the issue. A representative from BUKU stated, “We are aware that some residents were disrupted by the sound on Saturday night. When producing BUKU, our impact to the community is at the forefront in our planning process and all possible efforts are made to mitigate the disruption. Sound levels were not higher than an average concert and the main stage ended at 11 p.m.”
This dispute is not uncommon amongst neighboring communities and festival venues. As the weekend is over, so is the conflict…until next year. Stay tuned!
H/T: The Times-Picayune
