ORTON PARK FESTIVAL (49th edition) – Thu., August 21, 2014 – Orton Park

The 49th Orton Park Festival brings world-class music to Madison

MADISON, WI – August 5, 2014 – In 1977, the Dirty Dozen Social and Pleasure Club in New Orleans began showcasing a traditional Crescent City brass band in effort to revive the century-old genre from a time when black southerners looked to the bands to help send deceased loved ones off with funeral processions that went from somber dirges to jubilant dance tunes that inspired dancing in the streets.

Thirty years later, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band is a world famous music machine, whose name is synonymous with genre-bending romps and high-octane performances. They have revitalized the brass band in New Orleans and around the world, progressing from local parties, clubs and festivals in their early years to touring nearly constantly in the U.S. and in over 30 other countries on five continents.

And on August 23rd they will anchor the line-up of Madison’s Orton Park Festival.
In its 49th year, OPF is well practiced at delivering a high-end array of local, regional and national acts, and this year is no exception. From local favorites Primitive Culture, with their original, upbeat and extremely danceable tunes; to Chicago’s JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound, one of the hottest soul acts in the country; and alt-country singer-songwriter Lydia Loveless, bringing her classic country, honky-tonk, and punk rock up from Columbus, Ohio; this year’s lineup will not disappoint.

Cycropia Aerial Dance kicks off the four-day festival with a performance from under the park’s great bur oak on Family Night, Thursday, August 21st. The festival closes Sunday evening with the return of the popular Latin/reggae/funk group, Pimps Of Joytime. As in past years, OPF will feature a number of terrific local restaurant vendors, as well as craft beers and wine tents.
Hosted by the Marquette Neighborhood Association with major sponsorships from Willy Street Co-op and Heartland Credit Union, among others, Orton Park Festival is an effective fundraiser for MNA’s many valued community programs.

“The neighborhood is particularly proud of this festival”, says MNA president, Michael Jacob. “In its 49th year, Orton is surely one of the country’s longest-running outdoor music festivals, which is pretty remarkable for a relatively small space in the heart of a residential community.”

Dates: August 21-24, 2014
Location: Orton Park, 1200 Spaight Street
Music starts around 5pm on Friday, and early on the weekend..
Full festival line-up here - http://www.marquettemusicfestivals.org/orton-park-festival/