Written by Azzy Hinton
What is BUKU Festival?
BUKU is defined as excess in Creole slang, deriving from the French word “beaucoup”. The name is perfect for a music and arts festival held at Mardi Gras World on the banks of the Mississippi in New Orleans. BUKU is a relatively new festival that started in 2012, but managed to attract over 35,000 people this year, selling out completely. BUKU, in comparison to the other festivals in New Orleans (like Jazz and French Quarter Fest) appeals to a younger crowd; this is apparent in the festival’s EDM heavy lineup.
The Vibes
The sun glittered across the Mississippi River onto a mashup of fields, warehouses, tents, and storage containers. A setting this unique and eclectic matched the diverse array of musicians and art present at the festival. The complex light installations and neon colors surrounding the different stages and venders created the feeling of being in a psychedelic coral reef. Through the elaborate lightening and crowds, you could catch glimpses of people headbanging, shuffling, and moshing. The festival felt young and energetic with people wearing neon, glitter, and fishnets. One of stages was in the Mardi Gras float warehouse, it was interesting to party in a room full of giant floats with EDM in the background. However, it felt right be in a room with these floats as New Orleans is the ultimate Mardi Gras destination and contributed to the eclectic energy of the festival.
The Music
If the line-up and genres present could be summed up to one vibe, it would be EDM in all its forms. Any type of music that people could dance, bounce, and headbang to was there: chillwave, mumble rap, house, synthpop, rap metal, alt R&B, BUKU had artists that appealed to everyone. The stages were far apart enough to where moving from set to set felt like its own little different world. Artists, with the exception of a few major rappers *cough Playboi Carti cough* were punctual and made for smooth and well-organized transitions.
The impressive line-up did have one downfall, one that is seen at most festivals- the intimacy between the audience and the artist was dampened. Many people came out to see a few artists and only had a vague idea of the other acts. This meant that many people didn’t know the words and artists that relied on audience participation during their set were often met with scattered responses. The lack of audience participation was remedied by the beautiful shared experience of being present and enjoying music.
Final Remarks
A review of BUKU wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the outfits of the people there. Glitter, fishnets, and colorful shawls made people watching especially fun and contributed to the whimsical, eclectic feel of the festival.
It’s hard to see any other setting complementing the festival as well as New Orleans does. Thank you to the city of New Orleans for sharing a little bit of its magic and glitter with us.