


Forecastle
Mission:
Music.Art.Activism®. Founded by Art of Impact's JK McKnight, Forecastle launched 2002 inside Louisville’s award-winning Olmsted park system (Central Park, Biltmore Estate, US Capital), was one of the first contemporary music festival models to make sustainability a core pillar of its DNA, shifting the industry flywheel towards a more socially-conscious, environmentally-friendly direction.
Strategy:
Start small, dream big. Place music, art, and activism on equal footing, investing in each equally. Program differently. Focus on creating experiences you would not find in a traditional music festival environment, merging education and entertainment, while weaving in festival sponsorships highlighting local culture. Create an authentic and immersive environment where experiential brand activations thrived and locally-sourced micro-experiences forged a distinctive identity and stimulating journey of artistic and cultural discovery.
Results:
Forecastle scaled quickly, as did its environmental Foundation, drawing fans - largely millennials and later Gen Z - from over 2400 cities and 13 countries, and featured an eclectic mix of artists, including Jack Harlow, Beck, Sam Smith, Outkast, Jack White, Tame Impala, LCD Soundsystem, Chris Stapleton, My Morning Jacket, Tyler the Creator and hundreds more. A case study of successful festival development, Forecastle outgrew five venues on its way to 85-acre Waterfront Park: an example. From 0 to 75,000 attendees, the smallest city park to one of the largest, the music festival was acquired by AC Entertainment in 2013 and Live Nation in 2016.