Music festival fans have the opportunity to stay home this weekend and support local artists through the newest Baton Rouge event to take center stage.
On Saturday, March 18 the first annual Bloom and Arts Festival will connect Baton Rouge residents with local music, food and art at the Levee Plaza downtown from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Bloom is the brainchild of Jarvis Antwine, Kenzie Dunaway, Reed Dunaway and Waid McDaniel, a cohort of 20-somethings who met in grade school at Christian Life Academy and continued their friendship post-graduation. With either playing or appreciating music, a festival seemed possible in the hands of the four friends.
“Growing up, I always parked cars or sold water outside the gates of the festival and was never able to get in. [Now] that I am being given the opportunity to do this festival is truly a blessing,” Antwine says.
Antwine says he’s dreamed of creating a music and arts festival for Baton Rouge since he was 19 years old.
“[Antwine] was kind of like a big brother to me,” Dunaway says. “He always told me I could do big things. I don’t play music, but I enjoy it. We want to bring that sense of joy to people in Baton Rouge who can’t necessarily afford to attend expensive music festivals.”
The team of four brought all of these ideas to fruition in about three months. When they first started, the group went door-to-door at businesses downtown in search of sponsors. Despite several rejections for sponsorships, they persisted. Their efforts paid off when the group landed a meeting with the Downtown Development District Commission, who offered the organizers a date and space for the festival.
“People thought we were crazy,” Dunaway says. “I mean, we are just kids. But we contacted everyone we knew and just went for it. We knew our goal was big, but we had to start somewhere.”
Bloom gives off all the similar feelings of New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, but now in the Red Stick: a melting pot of artists, diverse food options and music from every genre. In such a culture-rich capital city, Bloom Fest offers a platform to exhibit its overflowing artistic talent.
“Bloom was designed in Baton Rouge, of Baton Rouge, and for Baton Rouge. It will be a beautiful environment where people can gather over the simple joy of listening to quality sounds,” McDaniel says.
The headliners for the festival include some of the city’s most soulful and funkiest groups: funk band Captain Green, funk group Joe Grady, and Bryce Williams, a rapper.
One of Bloom’s main focuses is connecting different musical genres, Dunaway says.
The festival will be a showcase of local talent from Baton Rouge to New Orleans.
Along with being a part of the organization, Reed is the drummer for Baby in the 90’s, a local three-piece alternative rock group who will also take the stage Saturday. The band’s guitarist and lead singer, interdisciplinary studies senior Mookie Darden, says he’s hopeful the festival could be a step in the right direction of expanding Baton Rouge’s music scene.
The downtown space will feature two stages, a live graffiti artist plus food and drink vendors. Local artists will also be in attendance, selling and promoting their work.
Bloom partnered with local nonprofit It Takes a Village BR, who will accept donations at the festival in the form of money, canned goods, clothing, and personal hygiene products.
Bloom Festival is free and open to all ages. For more information on the festival, visit the event’s Facebook page.
