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Best Music Festival: Madness on Main
What has separated Madness on Main from other Houston music festivals over its five year run is its ability to cull resources from a local music and music-interested community clamoring to be heard. The D.I.Y. ethic of the event means it doesn’t belong to any specific individual or large corporate interest, but to the people who regularly make music here and those who routinely seek it out. They’re the ones who promote and market Houston music on a day-to-day basis. They engineer sound nightly for area bands on the cusp. They financially support the idea of punctuating every community gathering with music made by their neighbors.
When the fest moved from mid-Main to North Main in 2017, fans piled onto the Metro Red Line and followed. Held at White Oak Music Hall and Raven Tower over the last two installments, it’s become a must-see summer starter. The considerable creative genius of Houston is spotlighted through music and visual art and the fest has tabbed touring acts (Black Pistol Fire, Har Mar Superstar, etc) as headliners. Those out-of-towners join in with the local independent artists to create a family gathering of sorts, all brought together by a fest whose acronym is, rather appropriately, MOM.
Readers' Choice: Astroworld (Travis Scott)
astroworldfest.com