Believe it or not, out of all the shows I’ve been to, I never saw a show at CBGBs. I don’t know why that is but just never did. Oh well. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the famous club, they have expanded to a music & film festival happening in NYC on October 9th-13th. I’m not really into these type of festivals (too pricey), but others might be. The info about it is below.

For four decades, the name CBGB has been synonymous with all musical genres emerging from the indie and punk underground. This year, CBGB will be breaking more new ground with the expansion of the CBGB MUSIC & FILM FESTIVAL, a five-day festival/conference. This will take place Wednesday, October 9 to Sunday, October 13, 2013 within NYC’s rich and varied music venues throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Landmark Sunshine Theater on E. Houston St. will serve as the conference and film festival hub.

Named for the legendary club CBGB that was the birthplace of American indie, punk and new music, the CBGB Festival will be NYC’s largest ever showcase of music, film, art, social awareness, entertainment industry workshops and conferences.

“CBGB has always been about live music,” says CBGB Co-Owner Tim Hayes. “A large music festival is the best way to bring musicians, film makers, entertainment industry professionals and fans together for five days in NYC.” The First Annual CBGB Festival hosted hundreds of events in venues that ranged from hidden clubs and neighborhood theatres to free concerts in Times Square and Central Park. By the end of the week, the 1st Annual CBGB Festival had entertained and engaged more than 300,000 music fans. This year’s incarnation offers a mixture of music from 700 emerging and established artists at over 175 participating venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The CBGB Film Festival will premier an estimated 40 new movie titles with most featuring Q&A sessions with directors, producers and/or actors. “The CBGB Film Festival is positioned to be the leading rock and roll film festival in the country,” adds CBGB Co-Owner Joe D’Urso. “We will have approximately 40 movie premieres and 100 screenings. No other major film festival in the country focuses exclusively on music-themed movies on this scale. There is a ton of great music films out there and the field is really exploding right now.”

Access for the festival will be available in four different tier structures with advance discounts available:

Badge 1:
Music Showcases/Film Screenings (does not include Music or Film Conferences or any VIP Area Access)
Early Bird until July 1st – $50
July 2 until October 8: $75
Walkup: October 9 – 13: $100

Badge 2:
Film Screenings/Film Conference: (includes Film Screenings and Music Showcases, does not include VIP Access)
Early Bird until July 1st – $150
July 2 until October 8: $200
Walkup: October 9 – 13: $250

Badge 3:
Music Showcases/Music Conference: (includes Music Showcases and Film Screenings, does not include VIP Access)
Early Bird until July 1st – $150
July 2 until October 8: $200
Walkup: October 9 – 13: $250

Badge 4:
VIP Combo Pass: (includes access to select VIP areas/opportunities that CBGB Festival will offer as well as all Music Showcases, Film Screenings, Music Conference, Film Conference)
Early Bird until July 1st – $250
July 2 until October 8: $300
Walkup: October 9 – 13: $375

All Badge holder access to Music Showcases, Film Screenings, Conferences and VIP areas on first come/first served basis.

An abbreviation for “Country, BlueGrass, and Blues”, CBGB holds a very important place in rock ‘n’ roll history when it began its auspicious origin as a music club on The Bowery in NYC’s East Village. Founded by the late Hilly Kristal in 1973, CBGB became a hotbed for American punk and new music with bands like Ramones, B-52s, Talking Heads, Television, Blondie, the Patti Smith Group, and The Dead Boys. Currently on display at NYC’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is the Costume Institute’s “Punk: Chaos to Couture,” an exhibit that features CBGB prominently as a fashion originator for its punk culture that grew out of its emerging counterculture. The exhibit serves as a precursor to the Festival this Fall. See NY Times coverage here.

“Our goal is to keep the spirit of CBGB alive in all of its forms,” concludes Hayes. “That spirit extends out to fashion, photography and art too. We want to celebrate and elevate authentic forms of expression.” CBGB FESTIVAL 2013 will take place in NYC from October 9 – 13, 2013.