The BUKU Music + Art Project announced that its two-day festival will not return to New Orleans in 2023. Founded in 2012 and held annually at Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World, the festival was a showcase for emerging and established acts in the alt-rock, prog-rock, rap, bouce, hip hop, punk and metal scenes.

In a statement posted to social media on August 4, organizers made the following statement:

Hey BUKREWE –

It’s time for a change…

From day one, BUKU was created to be something different… a gritty yet colorful event celebrating the progressive subculture of New Orleans. It became a homecoming for the most amazing bunch of beautiful weirdos ever assembled and in 10 years we accomplished exactly what we set out to do: we created a community… a community that truly matters.

But times are changing… and the current model of BUKU needs to take a break. For a myriad of reasons, we’ve decided that the festival will not take place in March 2023. We don’t know exactly what the future will look like – and that’s okay as there is freedom in the unknown– but we know that we will gather again someday, in some form, bursting with creativity and purpose.

To our BUKREWE, including the fans, staff, vendors, local artists, and the City of New Orleans: we adore you. The DMs and emails we’ve gotten over the years say it all… you got engaged at BUKU, you met all of your friends at BUKU, you were encouraged to start a business at BUKU, BUKU was your last show before going into active duty, you fell in love at BUKU, you raged at BUKU, and you connected with a community free of judgment and full of encouragement at BUKU.

This isn’t “goodbye” – this is “see y’all down the road.” Until then, keep the BUKU spirit alive, keep visiting New Orleans, keep creating, and keep loving big.

XO, BUKU FOREVER

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the 2022 BUKU Music + Art Project returned from March 25-26. Acts included headlining sets from Australian psychedelic rock band Tame Impala, Grammy award-winning artist and fashion icon Tyler, the Creator and three of electronic music’s most highly regarded performers, Porter Robinson, Rezz and Alison Wonderland.