Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival was Florida’s first ever 24-hour music festival which cultivated talent and expression from all across the globe. The event took place over three days, Mar. 4-6, as a total of 30,000 people flocked to the 800-acre venue near Lake Okeechobee.
The major key to the success of the festival was the diversity of genres. Over 100 artists and performers took the stage to deliver performances hip hop/rap, pop, rock, folk, alternative, EDM and much more. There were three main stages, named the Be, Here, Now stages, respectfully, where most of the headliners performed. Although the lineup was packed with talent, the most notable headliners were Mumford and Sons, Kendrick Lamar, Skrillex, Robert Plant, Miguel, Mac Miller, and Nykee Heaton.
The biggest event that took place at the festival was the PowWow. This was an organized gathering of some of the best talents at Okeechobee all on one stage. The last concert on Saturday brought Miguel, Win Butler, Hall & Oates, and special appearances from Mac Miller, Skrillex and Mumford and Sons all on the same stage at the same time to deliver a once-in-a-lifetime superstar collaboration.
Aside from the three stages that hosted most of the music, there are also two other unique areas that held shows of their own concept. Jungle 51 was an area that played live music from dusk-till-dawn and DJs blasted electric dance music coinciding with spectacular light shows. Aquachobee Beach was a tropical haven which included a stage for festivalgoers to hear a variety of live music from dawn-till-dusk, which could be heard while standing by the stage, laying at the beach, or at the top of the Ferris wheel they had as well.
With 30,000 people attending the festival, they all needed a place to stay. Concert-goers were recommended to camp on site, as long as they brought their own equipment. Most people brought either a tent, camper, or RV and stayed the weekend within the designated camping areas. Each group was given a 20×20 grassy space which was large enough to keep a car, tent, cooler, and personal belongings within own’s own boundaries. Bathrooms and water refill stations were provided for free, while showers cost $7. With no hotels nearby, camping was the only option for a full festival experience.
If people wanted to take a break from the music and dancing to explore other shenanigans, the Chobeewobee Village brought them into another world. Not only were there food trucks for any and every appetite, people could relax on one of the hundred hammocks tied to trees or kick back in the Chai Lounge where they placed recycled furniture in a well lit tree area. A Yogachobee area was also erected that was filled with yoga mats for stretching and guided yoga sessions.
General admission tickets were only $268, and there were endless activities within the 800-acre property. With positive vibes flooding the entire event, to say the Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival was a success would be a huge understatement. As the festival wrapped up with the performance of Mumford and Sons late Sunday night, 30,000 fans lavished in the positive energy as they witnessed history, and many began looking forward to Okeechobee 2017.
