BY GRANT LANCASTER
Fervent podcast listeners will converge at a Williamsburg hotel on the first full weekend in March for On Air Fest 2020, a celebration of podcasts and other audio storytelling that features innovators on the leading edge of the format.
Air Fest 2020, which will stretch from March 6-8 at the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn, will feature big names in podcasting and audio content such as Michael Barbaro of The Daily, This American Life creator Ira Glass, People’s Party podcast host Talib Kweli and poet and author Hanif Abdurraqib.
Brian Lehrer of WNYC, Shaun King of The Breakdown and Emily Bazelon of Slate’s Political Gabfest will discuss the impact of podcasting on the 2020 election as a recap in the aftermath of Super Tuesday earlier in the week.
In addition to hearing from these content creators, attendees will become a part of an interactive four-act noir crime audio drama called The Con, created by Crimetown’s Zac Stuart-Pontier.
The hotel will offer festival-goers happy hours and breakfasts throughout the weekend at their Le Crocodile French restaurant and Lemon’s rooftop bar.
Tickets are $149 for a day pass, $375 for a three-day pass and $750 for access to the launch party and VIP lounge on top of the regular programming.
On Air Fest started in Brooklyn in 2017, founded by Scott Newman as a blend of creative conference and music festival to highlight the importance and impact of digital audio storytelling. This is the fourth annual On Air Fest in Brooklyn, with the festival expanding to Los Angeles in Nov. 2019.
