FPSF No More: In Bloom Rises From the Ashes, and in the Freaking Springtime

Well…wow. I’ve been behind on Houston-related music news lately, it’s true, but out of all of it, this definitely takes the cake. We got word this morning that our city’s iconic nine-year-old music festival, alternately known as Free Press Summer Festival, FPSF, or Summerfest, is changing in a fairly big way.

For one thing, it’s got a new name: In Bloom Music Festival. Cool, okay, I can get behind that. I mean, the whole Summerfest/FPSF/Free Press thing’s been weird, especially since the Free Press Houston sold their controlling stake in the festival back in 2016. A new, fresh name and overall look sound like a good thing to me, especially since it doesn’t mean there’ve been more changes to who’s running the show — specifically, I’m heartened to see that Pegstar‘s Jagi Katial is still on board.

Beyond that, the festival will still be over at Eleanor Tinsley Park, which I was happy to reaffirm this past FPSF is my favorite location for outdoor festivals like this; convenient as the Reliant parking lot was in some ways (getting from one stage to another was definitely faster, since you could just bisect the circle and cut across), it just can’t compare to actual freaking trees and grass. So that’s a good thing, right there.

Sadly, beyond promises of more than 50 bands playing, there’s no word yet on the lineup — that’ll be released next month, I’m told — but you can get your presale tickets right now, at a pretty damn low price. A two-day GA ticket costs $75 at the moment, plus between $13 and $21 in fees (depending on whether you want a 3-D “collectible credential”, whatever the heck that is). That’s a nice change from years past, where the cost of going to FPSF has seemed to climb higher and higher each year.

Oh, and the big change: the festival will no longer be in the brutally hot, humid Houston summer. No, seriously. Instead, the newly revamped/renamed In Bloom Fest will take place Saturday, March 24th, & Sunday, March 25th, well before the H-town sidewalks crack and swell with the blazing heat. Wow.

I’ve gotta say, I’m happy as hell to see these changes — especially that last one, because I’m getting too damn old to broil myself for two days every summer, after which I usually find myself thinking, “why the fuck did I do that again?”

It’s early yet, but I’ve got my fingers crossed that this is a good fresh start for the former FPSF, the kick the festival needs to get back to what it used to be. (Also, to organizers of In Bloom, in the unlikely event that you’re reading this: how about more locals on the bill? That’d be awesome, truly.)