Montauk's Four Days of Music, 85 Artists
The Montauk Music Festival’s seventh annual happening heralds summer’s imminent arrival, as the four-day event draws hundreds of artists and thousands of music lovers to the hamlet on the weekend before Memorial Day.
Some 365 sets by more than 85 artists, from soloists to full bands, will be performed across 40 venues. This year’s festival features a wealth of talent hailing from the South Fork, including Megan Leonardo, Whaleheart, Hopefully Forgiven, and the Montauk Project, and from as far west as Texas and Colorado. The full lineup and schedule is at montaukmusicfestival.com.
“It’s definitely receiving more attention each year,” said Kenny Giustino, the festival’s founder. “Every year tops the last, which is hard to do, but that’s what’s been happening.”
The party kicks off with tonight’s opening event at Gurney’s Resort. The $45 admission includes live music on two stages, hors d’oeuvres, and festival sponsors’ liquors and beers from 8 until midnight. All other performances are free. Those attending performances at a new stage this year, at the Montauk Lighthouse, must pay the landmark’s standard admission, Mr. Giustino said. On Saturday and Sunday, the Montauk Friends of Erin will host a barbecue on the downtown green with beer, wine, and soda, proceeds benefiting its charitable endeavors.
The preseason festival provides a financial windfall for the hamlet’s many hotels, restaurants, and bars, with hotel occupancy jumping from around 20 percent to capacity, according to Mr. Giustino, who is also the founder and publisher of The Montauk Sun. “People can enjoy the different restaurants and bars. We hope they support the musicians, maybe by buying their CDs, because they’re getting all this great music at no charge.”
Montauk residents are also big fans of the festival, he said. “It’s one of their favorite weekends,” and one that brings a different kind of visitor to the hamlet. Mr. Giustino allowed that “all the hoopla about Montauk” — the hamlet’s recent reputation for riotous behavior by summer visitors — is overblown, “but this is definitely a different crowd. They’re music-lovers, looking to see something new and exciting.”
Meghan Trainor, whose song “All About That Bass” was one of the biggest singles in 2014, performed in the festival’s second year. “That was fun that she became famous,” Mr. Giustino said. “That’s what people are always looking for, to see something that hasn’t been discovered yet, and they’re the ones that can say they saw it at the festival.”