Willow Waterhole is a free musical event
The Willow Waterhole MusicFest fuses the sounds of professional performers and the talents of kids in the neighborhood for a free two-day community event.
The festival will take place at Willow Waterhole Park on April 23-24.
The first festival in 2013 began primarily with jazz performances by the Westbury High School Jazz Band.
Since then, it has grown into a diverse two-day event that celebrates different genres of music and showcases 16 professional bands and 11 area schools.
“We wanted to break out of jazz and be a lot more inclusive,” said Howard Sacks, chairman of the MusicFest. “So we said, ‘Let’s keep the kids and add the professional groups, and let’s create a single venue where the kids can feel inspired by the adults to continue on in their music programs.’ ”
Al Campbell, director of the Westbury High School Jazz Band and Parker Elementary School band, selects the performers.
“Houston has got the most diverse community,” said Campbell.
“And because of that, I based the music picks off of the culture that is represented by the restaurants in the area.
“My momma used to tell me that you got to give people what the people like.”
Willow Waterhole Park, located in the Westbury area near the intersection of South Post Oak Road and South Main Street, features 291 acres of greenspace.
It allows plenty of room for attendees and the festival has come to attract more than 5,000 people.
It also hosts a craft market with more than 40 vendors and seven food trucks.
“It’s been exciting to see the growth of this festival,” said Becky Edmondson, board member of the Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy.
“Not only in the number of performers that are involved, but the audience participation; it has really been embraced and has grown exponentially.”
That the festival is free was particularly important.
“Sometimes in Houston we need something free, and this is a gathering for the community, so I got all brought all music styles to please everybody,” said Campbell.
Saturday’s event will showcase professional musicians, and Sunday’s event will have a mix of student groups and professional performers.
Some featured bands include the Grateful Geezers, The Classix, Luther and the Healers and Diunna Greenleaf.
“I wanted to give the kids an experience of being around and playing with professional musicians.
“When you see something up close, it gives you a whole new perspective of it,” said Campbell.
“The cool thing is that the professionals get more of a kick out of seeing the kids because it reminds them of how they used to be.”