SunFest

Last updated
SunFest
Genre Pop, hip-hop, R&B, soul, funk, latin, Reggae, Blues, Rock & Roll, Alternative Rock, southern rock, hard rock, indie rock, Jazz, Bluegrass, Country, Folk, Electronic, EDM, Americana
DatesLate April to Early May
Location(s) West Palm Beach, FL
Years active1982–2019, 2022-
Founded bySunFest of Palm Beach County Inc.
Website www.sunfest.com

SunFest is a musical and art festival held annually in the first week of May in West Palm Beach, Florida. SunFest is the state's largest waterfront music and art festival in Florida and attracts more than 100,000 visitors. Main attractions of this festival are the three stages featuring live music with a diverse array of musical styles including Pop, Hip-Hop, R&B, Soul, Funk, Latin, Reggae, Blues, Rock & Roll, Alternative Rock, Southern Rock, Hard Rock, Indie Rock, Jazz, Bluegrass, Country, Folk, Electronic, EDM, and Americana.

Contents

Notable acts have included AJR, Alabama Shakes, The Avett Brothers, Awolnation, Bastille, The Beach Boys, Billy Idol, The Black Crowes, Blink 182, Bob Dylan, Boston, Boyz II Men, Buddy Guy, Carrie Underwood, Cee Lo Green, Celia Cruz, Cheap Trick, Chuck Berry, Counting Crows, Cyndi Lauper, Damian Marley, Dizzy Gillespie, Duran Duran, Earth, Wind & Fire, Ed Sheeran, Fall Out Boy, Flo-Rida, George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic, Gregg Allman, G-Eazy, Hall & Oates, Herbie Hancock, Ice Cube, Isaac Hayes, J. Cole, Jackson Browne, James Brown, Jason Mraz, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Cliff, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, John Legend, Jon Bellion, Joss Stone, Journey, Kendrick Lamar, Kool & the Gang, Little Richard, Logic, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Mac Miller, Marshmello, Michael Bublé, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Musiq Soulchild, Nas, Ohio Players, Patti LaBelle, Pitbull, Pixies, Ray Charles, The Roots, Santana, ScHoolboy Q, The Smashing Pumpkins, Snoop Dogg, Stephen Stills, Steve Aoki, Steve Miller Band, Steve Winwood, The Temptations, The Wailers, The Wallflowers, War, Wilco, Willy Chirino, Wiz Khalifa, Ziggy Marley, and ZZ Top. [1]

History

The first SunFest in 1982 was a 10-day festival. [2] The organizers incurred a debt that took three years to pay off, so they reduced the festival to three days in 1984. [3] In 1986, its organizers decided to charge a $2 admission, and the event spanned five days by 1992. As of 2014, admission costs $25 at the gate, and its budget has expanded from $280,000 in 1984 to $2.2 million. [3] The 1991 festival had the biggest crowd ever with 345,000 people. For 2018, the festival was reduced back to four days.

Some "SunFestivies" available at Sunfest are the Battle of the Bands, floating themed bars, the TGi5k and Art District. In the Art District you can immerse yourself in live artist demonstrations and performances. A crowd favorite is the ending firework show which captivates you and leaves you excited for the next SunFest. The many SunFestivites can vary by year.

Organizational history

SunFest was founded in 1982 by SunFest of Palm Beach Country Inc. This corporation consists of twenty-five board members, twenty-five committees, and more than eighty sponsors. One of these sponsors, the "Palm Beach Cultural Council," funds SunFest Music Festival annually as a way to promote art and culture in Palm Beach County. Other funders who have helped create the festival include: The State of Florida, 'Department of State, 'Division of Cultural Affairs, and Florida Arts Council. These funders have allowed SunFest to be a private 501(c)3 non-profit organization. SunFest Music Festival has received a lot of referrals from the Palm Beach Cultural Council's executive director Will Ray. Ray's goal for Sunfest is to provide help to other cultural groups. Ray stated his beliefs about SunFest, "SunFest represents a very talented and experienced management and marketing force that should be used throughout the year," Ray said. "SunFest is really a giant in the festival industry because it has that management and revenue base."

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Palm Beach, Florida</span> City in southeast Florida, United States

West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lagoon. The population was 117,415 at the 2020 census. West Palm Beach is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to 6,138,333 people in 2020. It is the oldest incorporated municipality in the South Florida area, incorporated as a city two years before Miami in November 1894. West Palm Beach is located approximately 68 miles (109 km) north of Downtown Miami.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock festival</span> Multiday open-air rock concert

A rock festival is an open-air rock concert featuring many different performers, typically spread over two or three days and having a campsite and other amenities and forms of entertainment provided at the venue. Some festivals are singular events, while others recur annually in the same location. Occasionally, a festival will focus on a particular genre, but many attempt to bring together a diverse lineup to showcase a broad array of popular music trends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coachella (festival)</span> Annual music and arts festival in Indio, California

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. It was co-founded by Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santen in 1999, and is organized by Goldenvoice, a subsidiary of AEG Presents. The event features musical artists from many genres of music, including rock, pop, indie, hip hop and electronic dance music, as well as art installations and sculptures. Across the grounds, several stages continuously host live music.

Ultra Music Festival (UMF) is an annual outdoor electronic music festival that takes place during March in Miami, Florida, United States. The festival was founded in 1999 by Russell Faibisch and Alex Omes.

Sunfest is the name used for several music and art festivals:

The Florida SpringFest is a three-day annual showcase in popular music acts, both local and national, in downtown Pensacola, Florida. The Florida SpringFest is traditionally held anywhere from mid-May until early June.

iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre

The iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre is a 20,000-seat open-air music venue in West Palm Beach, Florida. The facility, owned by the South Florida Fairgrounds, is a modern amphitheatre used primarily for concerts and other performances. The loading dock and backstage area is sometimes used for concerts that are general admission standing room only, while the amphitheatre stage is used as the backstage area in these situations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacksonville Jazz Festival</span>

The Jacksonville Jazz Festival is an annual Jazz Festival held in Jacksonville, Florida.

BayFest was an annual three-day music festival held in the heart of downtown Mobile, Alabama. Founded in 1995, the festival offered a variety of music including pop, jazz, classic rock, alternative, R&B, rap, gospel, and modern rock. It was based at Bienville Square. The Launching Pad stage during Bayfest focused on local and regional talent. The event encouraged "going green" by providing for recycling throughout the grounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hangout Music Festival</span> Music festival

The Hangout Music Festival is an annual three-day music festival held on the white sand beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama. The main stages are the Hangout Stage and the Surf Stage, as well as the Boom Boom Tent and more. The festival generally takes place on the third weekend in May. It is the first major music festival held on the beach in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Never Ending Tour 2003</span> 2003 concert tour by Bob Dylan

The Never Ending Tour is the popular name for Bob Dylan's endless touring schedule since June 7, 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sundown Heaven Town Tour</span> 2014 concert tour by Tim McGraw

The Sundown Heaven Town Tour was a current headlining concert tour by American country music artist, Tim McGraw. The tour was in support of his thirteenth studio album, Sundown Heaven Town (2014). It began on May 9, 2014, and ended on November 8, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9 Mile Music Festival</span>

The 9 Mile Music Festival, also known as the Bob Marley Festival, Bob Fest, Marley Fest and Caribbean Festival, is an annual music event which began in 1993 in Miami. 9 Mile was pioneered by Bob Marley's mother, Cedella Marley Booker, to pay tribute to the legacy of her late son, and his messages of peace, love and unity. The festival maintains a tradition of collecting canned goods upon admission, to continue efforts to give back to the community. Donations go towards feeding the less fortunate in South Florida and the Caribbean. Over 2 million cans have been donated over the years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somewhere on a Beach Tour</span> 2016 concert tour by Dierks Bentley

Somewhere on a Beach Tour was the eleventh headlining concert tour by American country music artist Dierks Bentley, in support of his eighth studio album Black (2016). It began on April 21, 2016, in Dublin, Ireland and ended on October 29 of that year in Roanoke, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolina Country Music Fest</span>

Carolina Country Music Fest (CCMF) is an outdoor country music festival that takes place in June of each year in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The festival was founded in 2015 by Charlotte-based company Full House Productions.

Castlecomer is a five-piece Australian rock band formed in the suburbs of Sydney. Named after a small town in Ireland, Castlecomer consists of four cousins who have been making music together since childhood. They released their self-titled debut album on 5 October 2018 on Concord Records.

References

  1. ↑ SunFest. "Past Performers | SunFest | May 3–7, 2017". SunFest | May 3–7, 2017. Retrieved 2017-02-20.
  2. ↑ "Florida: SunFest". Local Legacies. The American Folklife Center. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  3. 1 2 Crouch, Lori (November 24, 1995). "Sunfest Broadens Horizons: Organization Helps Launch Other Events". SunSentinel. Retrieved 11 November 2014.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.