The 2022 Music is Art (MiA) was firing on all cylinders this year.
For those who rode bikes or took the Metro Rail, it was a breeze to get in and out. For others, there was a bit of a log jam. Thankfully, the River Fest Park annex of the festival was available for those who didn’t want to (or couldn’t) enter onto Kelly Island. The best part of the River Fest Park location was that there was a tiki boat that was shuttling people back and forth, which was a welcome surprise.
When we first arrived to River Fest Park, we spent some time strolling around to see all of the music and art attractions. Eventually we meandered over to 301 Ohio Street, where we encountered Papi’s Waterfront and Beach Bar. Papi’s – set up in a couple of shipping containers – offers up amazing views of the Buffalo River, a sandy beach, seating on a turf lawn, cornhole, surf-side drinks (think beer, seltzers, and wine-based cocktails), and Mexican food such as nachos, poutine, Mexican street corn, tacos, and choco taco ice cream.
If we didn’t have an MiA itinerary already laid out, we might have stayed at Papi’s all day. While we were there, we ran into Bill Paladino (CEO, Ellicott Development) who told us that the plan is to have a permanent location for Papi’s in the near future, as Ellicott prepares to build additional mixed-use buildings along the Buffalo River. He said that 301 Ohio Street and Cooperage Apartments have been major successes, and he’s ready to capitalize on those investments in the neighborhood.
After ordering a taco, and sipping a couple of wine-based cocktails, our MiA mission took us across the Buffalo River, to RiverWorks. Per usual, we found ourselves strolling the festival grounds, in search of live music, friends, and art installations. We were lucky to run into festival founder Robby Takac (bassist for the Goo Goo Dolls), who was coordinating with Ti Markle (always a brilliant MiA ambassador).
From there, we caught some live music directly next to the kids’ zone – a small amusement park that features a train, a slide, and a couple of other attractions. As families got busy with the rides below, overhead was the operational Buffal-“O” Ferris wheel, the silo “rock” climbing, and the zipline. It was the first time that I had seen everything – all of the rides and attractions – working all at once. Not to mention the various colorful MiA characters that were buzzing and flitting around us.
For anyone new to Buffalo, the Buffalo River must have been a fairly jaw-dropping sight to behold. Even as a seasoned Buffalonian, I was astounded by what I saw, especially from the River Fest Park vantage point. The backdrop of otherworldly-looking silos, with the Ferris wheel, the barrage of boats (big and small – including gondolas), and the reverberation of live music, the Buffalo River was in full swing.
MiA has definitely come into its own. What started off as a grassroots concert in Allentown has become a heralded event that Buffalo can be proud of. Not only is it a sensational event for visitors, it’s also an excellent way to show off this city’s artistic talents, which is why Robby Takac started the show to begin with. Let’s go, Buffal-“O”!