Festival for the Eno
Durham, N.C.
Festival for the Eno
|
|
|
Since it's the Fourth of July weekend, you can bet it's either raining or blazing hot at the Festival for the Eno. But, if you'll make the effort to venture out, the Eno festival will surely entertain you.
The Festival for the Eno, held at West Point on the Eno, a Durham City park that should not be confused with Eno River State Park, is a benefit for the Eno River Association, which buys and preserves land along the river. As such, environmental sustainability is a big part of the festival's ethic, from its "trash-free" program of collecting and sorting refuse, to its foot-operated handwashing stands that recycle water, and the sustainable home and gardening expo area. |
  Early on, folks look for shade at the Meadow Stage, but as space fills the audience is less shy about enjoying the summer sun. |
 Kids and their parents enjoy some cooling-off time on the river. |
As many as 80 bands or solo artists play an eclectic range of mostly acoustic music, from gospel to roots rock. But the nearly 100 arts and craft vendors, food (including ice cream), and the wide variety of nonprofit groups' displays, games, demonstrations, storytelling and other spectator and participatory activities are as important to the weekend as the music. There's also a working grist mill open for tours, canoe and kayak rentals and demonstrations, and shallows that are popular for wading on the river. |  A little touch of beauty on the banks of the Eno. |
 The Grove Stage, above and below, is the second-largest performance area and the surest bet for a shaded seat. 
An early act at the River Stage, top right, |
Meanwhile, four stages allow for a nice range of acts over the course of the festival's four days, which are scheduled for the closest weekend to Independence Day each year. Upper-tier acts play the Meadow Stage, on a sloping field at the center of the festival layout, and the shaded Grove Stage is the second-largest performance area. The River Stage is smaller, and the Chimney Corner Stage, named for ruins of a chimney that stand nearby and tucked away among the trees on the park's northern edge, is downright tiny.
Stages are spaced appropriately apart from one another, and it's easy to get around the grounds, though the land does slope toward the river. The festival is the biggest Fourth of July event in the area and is totally family-friendly. About 40,000 people representing a cross-section of the Triangle attend each year. As we say on our July festivals page, it's best to park at Durham County Stadium and take a shuttle bus to the festival. They are large, comfortable, air-conditioned tour buses - as opposed to school activity buses - and they run constantly each day.
|
The 2009 Eno festival presented two takes on pipes and drums:
N.C. State University Pipes & Drums and Albannach - "Outlawed Tunes on Outlawed Pipes."
Return to July Music Festivals or our home page.
