First Friday Berea returns Saturday

May 4—Berea's eagerly anticipated Levitt AMP Berea Music Series is returning Saturday with some structural changes and a whole new set of artists.

The festival will now feature two concerts per month over a five-month period. However, concertgoers can still expect the show to run from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Berea City Park Expansion, also known as the skate park.

According to Organizer Ali Blair, the decision to transition to a bi-monthly schedule reflects a desire to harken back to the festival's roots of seasonal First Fridays, while also accommodating the busy schedules of staff and volunteers who juggle multiple projects.

Since its inception a decade ago, the Levitt AMP Concert Series has become a cornerstone of Berea's cultural scene, attracting over 50,000 attendees and contributing over $500,000 worth of free cultural programming to the local economy.

According to Blair, this infusion of arts and entertainment has played a pivotal role in revitalizing Berea's Old Town and bringing in further business investment.

Moreover, the festival has served as a catalyst for social cohesion, providing a welcoming space where residents of all backgrounds can come together and enjoy family-friendly entertainment.

In a town where on-and-off-campus relations can sometimes be strained, the Levitt AMP Berea Music Series stands out as a beacon of inclusivity and unity, noted Blair, who asserts that this is important since minority religious groups and queer and community members of color have reported times of feeling unwelcome or unsafe in Berea.

"We provide accessible/inclusive space for building community, which helps to improve the quality of the dialogue around polarizing community topics. When we meet together with a playful spirit, we are more likely to recognize our humanity during controversy," she said.

Looking ahead, Blair is keen to deepen the festival's impact on the community by forging new partnerships.

This year, she says that the concert series will be hosting a pop-up concert at East Ridge Community Garden to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the garden, partnering with Berea Earth Warriors to achieve zero waste goals and lightening the festival's carbon footprint, and supporting the vision of the Berea Human Rights Commission to present a Juneteeth celebration and elevate the history of Black Bereans.

As in prior years, Blair has also curated a lineup aimed at championing diversity within the music industry.

In 2024, 90% of the music series's headlining bands are fronted by or include women/nonbinary artists

"By programming a diverse lineup of artists that use music as a vehicle for social change, introducing our community to other cultures via music and artist outreach, and providing space for community engagement to grassroots groups and service organizations we have transformed Friday nights in Berea to represent the kind of vibrant and loving community we want to live in," commented Blair.

As Berea gears up for another exciting season of music and community, the Levitt AMP Berea Music Series remains committed to its mission of fostering connection, creativity, and positive change.

The 2024 Levitt AMP Artist Roster is as follows:

5/3 Berea College Bluegrass Ensemble

5/3 Zoe Speaks

5/4 Circus Bear

5/4 Velveteen Habit

5/4 Something Sandy

5/4 Ox Eyed Daisies

6/7 Sabine McCalla

6/23 Sistah LaLa

7/2 Yapa

7/5 Darby Wilcox

8/2 Sia Tolno & Afro Dead (Afrobeat Grateful Dead cover set)

8/3 Wayne Graham

9/6 Bella's Bartok

9/7 Sam Gleaves

For more information go to https://www.firstfridayberea.com.