Bash on Wabash

Bash on Wabash is one of the few street fests you will find south of Madison and therefore on the South Side. The only other South Side fests I can recall are Greek Fest and the fest held on Taylor Street, both of which I find to be rather insular.
BOW isn’t the greatest fest but isn’t exactly a bow-​wow either. Yes, it’s smaller than most fests, with a much smaller crowd, which could be due to several reasons, including the unseasonably cool weather two years in a row or the fest being held on Labor Day weekend. But the sparse crowd does allow you to move about freely and grab a beer without any trouble.
We invariably cross paths with the same people over and over at street fests. BOW is the exception. It seems that North Siders are sometimes wary of traveling south of Madison. People also may not have shown due to the aforementioned cool weather and holiday weekend. That’s too bad, as those people are missing out on a decent fest that seems to be growing year by year and on a burgeoning neighborhood that has changed significantly for the better.
BOW is a fest worth coming out to, including from the North Side. I hope it’s back next year.
Four stars.