Sylvan Esso is back with another two-day extravaganza in downtown Durham and this time it’s here to stay: Good Moon, the music festival debuting on May 31, will feature six musical acts across two days of programming.
“We’ve been dreaming of our own two-day curated music event in Durham for several years now, we’re thrilled that it’s finally happening,” the pair told the INDY over email.
With Psychic Hotline, the pair’s independent recording company, and Betty, a recording studio, as a home base, bandmates Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn have consistently prioritized the Triangle’s music community, even as the electro-pop duo attracts national attention.
In 2022, the pair hosted a three-night headline run at the Historic Durham Athletic Park (DAP) that featured NC locals like Little Brother and Indigo De Souza. According to Psychic Hotline, the event reportedly drew 12,000 people to the park.
A festival helmed by Sylvan Esso promises to be a boon for downtown businesses. While Raleigh has Hopscotch and Dreamville, it’s been a few years since a recurring music festival has called Durham home. In the interim, block-party-style events—like the ballpark shows and Little Brother’s block party last fall—have helped fill the gaps.
“When you do something in downtown Durham, it’s inherently just a block party,” Sanborn told the INDY in 2022, ahead of the first ballpark show. “It’s not really about any one band or one person. It’s about a huge portion of the city coming together and hanging out.”
Although “The Greatest Show on Dirt” was a one-off built out of a desire to play a true hometown show, Meath and Sanborn say they want Good Moon to be a recurring musical event for the Triangle community.
This year, they’re bringing the community to a bigger ballpark downtown—the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The event lineup features a mix of local acts and national acts, with performances from Truth Club, Reyna Tropical, Dehd, Hippo Campus, and Fleet Foxes, alongside Sylvan Esso.
Good Moon was formed in collaboration with Psychic Hotline and will feature onsite pop-ups and other activations alongside afterparties at PS37 featuring DJs Made of Oak and Suzi Analogue. Weekend passes are available now and individual day passes will be available soon.
“I’m sure as it grows up, it will change many times,” Meath and Sanborn say, “but it will always be here, it will always come from us, and it will always be called GOOD MOON.”
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