Super Bowl Musicfest
Free Midtown music festival stretches Super Bowl party corridor along light rail line
It looks like the area from Midtown to downtown along Houston's light rail line is going to be Music and Party Central during Super Bowl week.
The latest to join the action is Mid Main SuperFest, a free four-day music, art and food block party that will take place February 2 through 5 in the 3600 and 3700 blocks of Main Street near the Ensemble/HCC light rail stop. The celebration, sponsored by the soon-to-open Mid Main Lofts, in partnership with The Continental Club and Natachee’s Supper ‘n Punch, will feature pop-up shops, culinary demonstrations and nightly concerts on an outdoor stage on Winbern Street, which will be closed to traffic between Travis and Main Street.
The Dallas-based psychphonic ensemble The Polyphonic Spree will headline a concert on Saturday night, February 4. Other performances during the four-day event include Houston bands The TonTons, -.Us, Mikey & The Drags, A Fistful of Soul, The Grahamphone, DJ Tempty and Light Rock Express as well as Dallas-based Ishi and Louisiana-based The Stooges Brass Band and Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie.
Of course, organizers hope revelers will drop by the nearby Continental Club, Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge, Alley Kat Bar & Lounge and other clubs and bars in the area to hear other top performers. Other gathering spots in the area include Tacos A Go Go, the Breakfast Klub and several hip retail shops.
On Super Bowl Sunday, Urban Harvest will host a Gameday Brunch on Winbern Street featuring more than 15 chefs and restaurants serving an eclectic variety of gourmet fare for purchase.
Five percent of drink sales at the festival will benefit Bike Houston, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating safe bikeways to improve the quality of life for all Houstonians. Attendees are encouraged to bike, take METRORail, Uber, carpool, or park in one of the surrounding parking garages located near the property.
The area stretching from the Ensemble/HCC light rail stop to the Main Street light rail stop in downtown Houston is expected to be a hub of activity during Super Bowl week. A few blocks from the Mid Main SuperFest, in the (hopefully) soon-to-be-completed Midtown Park, ESPN will set up shop and broadcast its full line of NFL daily shows, including NFL Insiders, NFL Live, SportsCenter, the Super Bowl Sunday edition of NFL Countdown, andESPN Radio's Mike & Mike show. (UPDATE: ESPN has decided to move its broadcast location to a parking lot adjacent to the Toyota Center in downtown Houston.)
And a few rail stops away, the free Super Bowl LIVE festitivies will take place from January 27 to Feb 5 in Discovery Green, with concerts featuring ZZ Top, Solange Knowles, and The Suffers, and a signature thrill ride.
For a comprehensive list of Super Bowl-related parties and activities, check out CultureMap's updated listing of events.
Here's the lineup for the Mid Main SuperFest:
Thursday, February 2
Mid Main SuperFest Stage
5 pm – DJ Tempty
6:30 pm – Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie
8:30 pm – The Stooges Brass Band
Friday, February 3
Mid Main SuperFest Stage
5 pm – The Grahamaphone
7 pm – Ishi
8:30 pm – The TonTons
Saturday, February 4
Winbern Street Art Market
Noon – Variety of local art and craft vendors on Winbern Street
Mid Main SuperFest Stage
3 pm – Mikey & The Drags
4 pm – A Fistful of Soul
7 pm - .Us
8:30 pm – The Polyphonic Spree
Sunday, February 5
Mid Main SuperFest Stage
10:30 am – Light Rock Express
Winbern Street
Urban Harvest Gameday Brunch features 15+ chefs, restaurants