
The definition of a (or rather, the) Forecastle, as given by the festival’s website, goes as such: “Fore·cas·tle (f’ok_sol) n. ~ A superstructure at the bow of a ship where the crew is housed. Hard at work in the unruly sea, a place workers gather to unwind after a hard day of labor. A place where the people come together.” The notion of a ‘gathering’ quickly extended beyond Waterfront Park, where the festival was held on the banks of the Ohio River, and became very real when we first arrived and met our CouchSurfing host, Scott.