Photos taken by Tori Thomas-Roettger
LaureLive kicked off on June 8th at Laurel School’s Butler Campus located on the east side of Cleveland. It is the only multiday festival in the northeast Ohio area. This family friendly festival was one for all ages, with activities for the youngsters and music & food for the adults.
The Music
When you think of a music festival, the first thing you think of is the music! And LaureLive had lots of music with the two main acts being Sheryl Crow and Hozier.
Day one of LaureLive kicked off on June 8th on a hot, sunny day in northeast Ohio. The day started out with local artists and lead into nationally known artists. One of the the nationally known artists was Rodrigo Y Gabriela, who absolutely killed it on stage. I had never heard of them, but their guitar skills were incredible. Another act worth noting is MisterWives, I’ve seen them a few times and every time they are lively, energetic, and get the crowd moving, and there was no exception at LaureLive. But the artist I was most excited to see on Saturday was Moon Taxi. I’ve followed their music for a few years, but never had the chance to see them live, and they were awesome & got to dance to some of my favorite tunes. Hozier wrapped up day one with a soulful performance and taking everyone to church.
Day two of LaureLive was an equally hot and sunny day, but provided a nice breeze to help cool things down. Like the day before, there were local acts and nationally known artists, and one nationally known artist I was excited to see was COIN. I saw them a few years ago when I was in Nashville for another festival, and they just keep getting better live! The artist I was most excited to see Sunday was AJR, just like Moon Taxi I’ve listened to their music over the last few years, but haven’t had a chance to see them live. They KILLED it! They have a stage presence I haven’t seen in years and are incredibly energetic, fun, and sure to get the crowd moving. I didn’t realize they were brothers, but their brotherly bond makes this band incredible on stage. Another notable act was Lake Street Dive, I had never heard of them before, but my husband made sure to inform me about their music and history, and they were the artist he was most excited to see, and had been waiting years to see them. I’ve heard of Trombone Shorty, but never listened to their music, but after seeing them live, I want to jam to their soulful music. Sheryl Crow wrapped out LaureLive with a bang. She played her hits and the whole crowd went wild, and it was awesome seeing people of different ages dancing and singing along to the music.
Family Friendly Activities
LaureLive had lots of family friendly activities for all age ranges. While walking around the festival grounds, you could see multiple kids stations, not just located in one location. Since the festival took place on Laurel School’s campus, they had multiple areas to set up these activities.
Right when you walk in the gates, you would see the designated Kiddie Area filled with two bounce houses and one inflatable obstacle course. I had to check out the area for myself and saw lots of families enjoying this area and even a few parents racing their kids on the obstacle course. In this area was also face painting and a tent to get out of the sun. The kids also had a button and silent disco station, along with a Gaga Ball Pit, which had lots of action during the festival. At the kids tent located near the two main stages there was a selfie station, more face painting, a balloon animal artist, and a little shade to get out of the sun.
Every kid I saw at LaureLive seemed to be having a blast! They had so many stations for them, but some just had fun dancing to the music and running on the field between the two stages.
LaureLive in future years
LaureLive 2020 will take place at a different venue, according to Laurel School and Cleveland’s Elevation Group. They say that the festival has outgrown Laurel’s Butler Campus and are seeking a new location. They hope to have a venue decided by the end of summer, so they can start planning 2020’s event. They plan on keeping the same family friendly festival atmosphere.