Situated less than 30 miles east of Austin, Bastrop has a charming downtown and is very supportive of live music. The city’s convention and visitors bureau was seeking a marquee event to create buzz and build recognition, and partnered with Open Sky Media/Texas Music to create the inaugural Bastrop Music Festival in 2018. Approximately 30 artists played 40 shows in venues throughout downtown Bastrop. After a successful first year, the Bastrop community was eager for an encore, which resulted in an expanded festival and more attendance in 2019. If not for Covid-19, BMF would have had year three in 2020, but that’s now been rescheduled for 2021.