KahBang Music and Art Festival facts for kids
Quick facts for kids KahBang Music and Art Festival |
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|---|---|
| Genre | rock, hip hop, pop, metal, electronic, indie |
| Dates | Second weekend in August |
| Location(s) | Bangor, Maine & Portland, Maine |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Founded by | Timothy Lo and Chas Bruns |
| Website | kahbang.com |
The KahBang Music and Art Festival (often called KahBang) was a fun festival that happened every year in Maine. It was a four-day event that celebrated music, art, and movies. The festival took place in Bangor and Portland, Maine.
You could enjoy many different types of music, watch independent films, and see cool art. There were also other activities like boat rides, parties, and even a kickball tournament! Sometimes, you could even camp there, and the campsite often had more music. In 2014, the music part of the festival was canceled. The art and film parts moved to Portland, Maine.
Contents
Festival History
2009: The Start
The very first KahBang Festival happened in August 2009. Over 2,000 people came to the Bangor, Maine Waterfront. Bands like Matt and Kim, Ra Ra Riot, and Ida Maria performed. This first festival was a two-day music event.
2010: Adding Movies
In 2010, the festival grew bigger. It added the Bangor Film Festival. This part of KahBang showed movies made by new filmmakers. It also featured independent films, which are movies made outside of big studios.
Some of the first movies shown included Blood Into Wine and New Low. The bigger festival attracted over 30,000 people. Live music acts included BOB, OK Go, Biz Markie, and Free Energy.
2011: Camping and Community
In 2011, KahBang offered camping for the first time. The campsite was close to the festival grounds. New things added in 2011 included KahBang Arts. This was a non-profit group that helped run the festival.
2011 also saw the first KahBang Connect Conference. This was a meeting where experts talked about social media and how people connect online. Music acts included My Morning Jacket, Lupe Fiasco, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, and Atmosphere.
2012: Art Walks and Brews
In 2012, the festival added a summer art walk. Local artists opened their studios and galleries for people to visit. This was a great way to see local art.
KahBang also changed to its current four-day format, running from Thursday to Sunday. They added a Brew Fest event, which showed off local, craft beers. Bands that played included Bassnectar, Deftones, Paper Diamond, and Penguin Prison.
2013: Rain and Tech Talks
The first day of the 2013 festival had a lot of rain. This made the fields muddy and dancing difficult. Some bands had to play later or perform without their full setup.
The Bangor Daily News hosted a "What’s Next Conference." This event brought in experts to talk about technology and business. Topics included social media and app development. The festival also had late-night shows at local bars and an early-morning dance party at the campsite. Acts included Earl Sweatshirt, Dr. Dog, 12th Planet, and The Weeks.
2014: Changes and Cancellations
In 2014, the festival had to make a big change. Just three weeks before it started, the location for the main music acts moved. It went from Bangor to Portland, Maine, which was two hours south. The festival was planned to be mostly indoors in Portland.
This move happened because the festival could not find a campsite in Bangor. However, on July 31, 2014, the music part of the festival was canceled. The director said that losing sponsors made it hard to put on the shows. The Brew Fest had also been canceled earlier.
