Buku's Back, Baby!

After 3 long years, we made our return to The Buku Music and Art Project! The wait was excruciating, but worth every second! This is a weekend that I’ll treasure forever. Buku is my favorite festival, and it means a lot to me; I went back in 2019 and it is where my now-fiancé asked me to be his girlfriend, and it also sparked a period of self-transformation. I love New Orleans and I love this festival, so it was surreal to finally return.

WHAT IS BUKU?

Buku is a 2 day music and art festival located in New Orleans, Louisiana. It’s located at Mardi Gras World and truly encapsulates the beauty of New Orleans. It’s a multi-genre festival, so it is not solely edm. It is also a visual art festival! There is live painting that is auctioned off as well as beautiful murals all over the place. There were also some digital exhibits you could walk through.

There were 5 stages: Skyline, Bridge, The Wharf, Ballroom, and Riverside. The first 3 stages listed were pretty big, with the ballroom being more of a warehouse vibe and riverside being small on the side. The Bridge stage was new this year, and it gave you a crystal clear view of the Crescent City Connection. Each stage was geographically named to help festival goers find their stages.

Alison Wonderland performing at the Skyline Stage

RECAP

On day 1, we saw Troyboi, John Summit, Rezz, Porter Robinson, $UICIDEBOY$, and Tame Impala. My top set for the first day was Porter Robinson! He did his Nurture set, which I got to see back in November on his tour, so it was such a treat to get it again at my favorite festival. It was also very special because my best friend Juliet had never seen him live- we used to have “Shelter” on repeat in our house back in college, so getting to experience that set together AND get Shelter was so special.

On Day 2, we saw Tvboo, Mersiv, Alison Wonderland, Sullivan King, Glass Animals, Lane 8, Amelie Lens, and Tyler the Creator. My top set of day 2 was 1000% Lane 8! I started listening to his music during quarantine, so it was such a treat to finally see him live. I know on his tours, he provides tape so people won’t record or take pictures, so I honored that by putting my phone away during his set and was fully present the entire hour. That was super enriching to not worry about getting content, I just got to focus on each aspect of the performance and the people I was with.

ADVICE

Crawfish, beignets, bourbon street- oh my!

When in NOLA, right? Definitely carve out time to explore the city- that made my experience so much better! We dedicated the morning of day 1 to be our exploring day, so we walked around French Quarter and saw St. Louis Cathedral, Cafe Du Monde, street performers, Pat O'Brien's, and so much more. The festival ended at 11 each night, so it’s a little easier to make it out to Bourbon St. afterwards and still get some sleep.

Comfy Shoes

The terrain isn’t the worst, but there are areas with gravel that make it a little difficult to travel if you’re in intricate shoes.

Don’t Stress About the Schedule

The schedule is very relaxed, allowing at least hour-long breaks between artists at each stage. This limits set conflicts and gives you more time to explore!

Explore!

Buku is such a unique festival since you’re surrounded by New Orleans landmarks. DEFINITELY allow yourself time to explore! Nestled along the Mississippi River with the bridge and downtown New Orleans on the horizon, it’s a beautiful place to let yourself get lost in.

Check out new artists!

Since Buku has a range of music genres, it’s easy to discover new artists you either have never heard of or have only heard one song, as well as NOLA-based artists. I only knew one song by Glass Animals, but after their set I was hooked! Their album “Dreamland” will forever take me back to this weekend. The Riverside stage had local artists who brought the New Orleans heat with their saxophones and dancers.

Check out the art!

Like I said, there’s art everywhere! Take a peek at the live painters and snap some pics by what I refer to as “the art tunnel.”

I’m so glad that we finally got to return! This was my fiancé’s last festival before deploying for 2022, so it was wonderful getting one last weekend to all be together and celebrate him before he left. It was also amazing to show some of my best friends my favorite festival since they did not come with us last time. I’m not 100% sure yet if we’ll return next year due to our wedding and honeymoon, but I know we’ll always find our way back to this beautiful festival! I’ll always hold this weekend close to my heart.

You can watch my recap here!