The Beaufort Music Festival is a free, two-day event put on by a local nonprofit arts organization. The festival website says its main goals are to present a diverse music lineup and to introduce attendees to fresh musical acts. It is also planned to be family-friendly for all ages.
We attended the 31st Beaufort Music Festival in 2019, which was held at Gallants Point, about 1.5 miles from the Beaufort waterfront, where the festival had previously been held. Gallants Point, a 31-acre site on the water with several boat slips, sits below the Gallants Channel bridge connecting Beaufort to Radio Island and, beyond it, Morehead City.
The lineup in 2019 was diverse, ranging from a local family bluegrass band to regional and nationally known rock, country, Americana, indie and girl-power punk bands.
The Beaufort Music Festival presents acts on two side-by-side stages.
In addition to music on two stages, about a dozen vendors ringed the field. About half of the vendors in 2019 were food and drink, including a local craft beer brewery, and the other half sold merchandise or represented nonprofits.
Perhaps because the festival is free and beer sales is a focal point, many who attended seemed more interested in the party around them than the music on stage Saturday evening. M.C. Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger, below, even commented to the crowd that his band's shows were more quiet than rocking. We found that we could hear the music better by moving back away from our chairs at the rear of the standing, chattering crowd in front of the stages.
A large tent a few feet behind the soundboard offered people a break from the sun.
Beside the spectator tent looking toward the main stage ...
From the right looking toward the main stage ...
The energy of The Tan and Sober Gentlemen captivates a young fan ...
The kids' area toward the water featured a couple of inflatables and a variety of arts and crafts, including screen printing free t-shirts for kids.
Gallants Point, seen below in a Google maps photo, is the future site of the North Carolina Maritime museum, which is currently in downtown Beaufort. The project to build the museum should take a decade, according to a May 2019 local newspaper report.
Sunset over Gallants Channel from the park ...
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