In which I plug the awesome street/music festival that I only attended for the first time two days ago, despite being fairly well attuned to the LA music scene…

This past Saturday the northeast Los Angeles neighborhood of Eagle Rock played host to its eponymous music festival for the twelfth consecutive year.  With five blocks of Colorado Boulevard closed off to cars, the six-lane roadway was reborn as a gallery for local artists, a market for local venders, and a venue for the sun-drenched tunes of over 50 local bands.  A grassy median, normally a refuge for traffic-braving pedestrians, became the setting of picnics and mini dance parties.

With an assist from the LA City Councilmember José Huizar, event host Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock has expanded the festival greatly in a short time.  In 2007, the street fair first cracked ten thousand attendees and hasn’t looked back, now approaching six-figures.  By 6PM, a bustling hoard was making its way here and there – people of all sorts enjoying themselves – boldly idling where traffic otherwise would, between rows of shops and a small armada of gourmet food trucks.  The afternoon carnival bled into an evening of eclectic subculture with music to suit the tastes of alt rockers and club goers alike.

If you didn’t get a chance to check it out this year, whet your appetite on these photos and mark your calendar for a year from now.  This Streetsblogger gives the Eagle Rock Music Festival seven thumbs up!

(Note: Rating may be revised without notice upon adoption of more rigorous rating system.)