Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival

Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival
GenreRock, jam bands, alternative rock, indie, hip hop, R&B, funk, reggae, EDM, jazz, Americana, country, folk, gospel, reggae, world
Location(s)Sunshine Grove
12517 NE 91st Ave
Okeechobee, Florida 34972, USA
Years active2016–2018, 2020, 2022-present
FoundersSoundslinger, LLC
Websiteokeechobeefest.com

The Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival (commonly referred to as Okeechobee) is an annual four-day music and arts festival. It is held at the 600-acre Sunshine Grove property in Okeechobee, Florida.

History

The first Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival was held March 4–6, 2016. With artists such as Bassnectar, Skrillex, Kendrick Lamar, and Mumford & Sons, the festival drew around 32,000 attendees in its first year.[1] The festival is produced by Soundslinger, LLC, an independent company founded by Steve Sybesma, formerly of Sunshine Promotions, Paul Peck formerly of Superfly (Bonnaroo Music Festival), and a team of producers who have presented other major festivals and concerts around the globe. It was announced in late 2016 that both Sybesma and Peck would be leaving the company on good terms, and Kevin Collinsworth was appointed CEO. Soundslinger is headquartered in Miami, with offices in New York City.

After announcing in November 2018 that it would go on hiatus, EDM promoter Insomniac acquired a controlling stake in Soundslinger in June 2019.[2] The festival returned in 2020 with an upgraded production and redesigned stages more in line with its other events, while maintaining the existing mix of genres.[3]

Festival summary by year

Edition Year Dates Headliners
1st 2016 March 4–6
2nd 2017 March 2–5
3rd 2018 March 1–4
4th 2020 March 5–8
5th 2022 March 3-6
6th 2023 March 2-5

References

  1. ^ "Okeechobee Fest listed as a top music destination: Sold out in its first year". 4 March 2016.
  2. ^ "Meet the Billionaire DJ Who's Reviving Okeechobee Fest With Insomniac". Billboard. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  3. ^ Hilberath, Franz (11 March 2020). "Everything We Loved About the Reincarnation of Okeechobee Music Festival". EDM.com. Retrieved 2021-02-28.

27°21′35″N 80°44′01″W / 27.3598°N 80.7335°W / 27.3598; -80.7335