There are still plenty of great festivals to check out before the end of summer. In fact, there’s a very unique one happening downtown this Saturday.
From 11 am to 3 pm on August 13, the free SoundSport Food and Music Festival will take over Georgia Street, filling the air with delicious smells and foot-stomping rhythms. While chowing down on grub from some of Indy’s best food vendors, festivalgoers will be treated to 35 music performances across three different stages. Taking place as part of this year’s Drum Corps International World Championship festivities, the four-hour shindig will feature ensembles from the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong and Colombia, among other countries.
“In just a few short seasons, SoundSport has truly grown into an international network of unique performance opportunities for many different types of ensembles around the world,” says John DeNovi, Drum Corps International Director of Global Business Development. “Starting with a single opening showcase in Indianapolis in 2013, annual SoundSport events now occur on five continents.”
As part of this first-ever festival, attendees will hear a vast array of sounds from performers of all ages. This means that one moment you may find yourself being wowed by a marching band, only to be sucked into a performance from a whistle ensemble the next. Also featured will be percussive units from a wide variety of backgrounds vying for the championship title in the DrumLine Battle division. DrumLine Battle puts percussionists in the spotlight through thrilling head-to-head matches featuring their best two minutes of drumming, stick tricks, exciting visuals, acrobatic stunts, high adrenaline movement and a whole lot of attitude.
“The rules are simple and focus on showmanship and getting the crowd to ‘give it up’ for each performance,” says DeNovi. “These ‘fast-paced and in-your-face’ routines have taken off in more than 20 countries which host DrumLine Battle events year round.”
To find out more about this Saturday’s festival, those who are interested can head to the Drum Corps International website.