2023 Festival Highlights
Rosewood Centenial Project:- 3:30-5:30 Saturday afternoon in workshop area 2: This will be a focused presentation of Songs & Stories as a remembrance of the 100th anniversary of the Rosewood Massacre. There will be a line-up of folks who are officially part of this project as well as others who have songs or stories to share.
Songwriter Rounds: There are 3 Songwriter Rounds at this year’s festival. Each will feature 4 artists presenting original material (see schedule for line-up).
Friday: Cypress Stage, 4-5 pm
Friday: Shooting star Stage, 5:30-6:30 (this round exclusively features our Young Performers)
Saturday: Cypress Stage 2-3 pm
Youth Showcase & Programs: After a 2 year hiatus, our Young Performers are back. The Saturday afternoon showcase allows those ready for stage presentations to perform in a very popular showcase. This year’s Showcase includes 8 acts and runs from 3:30 to 7:30 pm on the Azalea Stage.There are many other open mics, song rounds and workshops for our young performers including the “Write A Song Collaboration” which is open to all young performers. The song they write will be performed on the Magnolia Stage around 5:15 as a part of our Sunday festival wrap-up. Check out the schedule for the Shooting Star Stage to see the entire weekend’s details.
Saturday Night Contra Dance is a new addition this year. It will take place in the Azalea Stage area immediately following the Young Performer Showcase. JJ Luxe, our caller will conduct an instruction portion before the dance starts so be brave and give it a whirl. Jenny & the Stray Dogs will provide live music for the dance.
"Acoustic Under the Oaks" is a more casual acoustic presentation with no sound system. It will run from 1pm - 4:30 pm on Saturday in Workshop 1 area behind the Magnolia Stage. The line-up varies from solo acts to bands. Stop by, pull up a chair and enjoy this all acoustic setting “Under The Oaks”.
“Old time Gathering” will be active all 3 days with a focus on “Old Time Music”. You’ll find performances, mentoring, jams and workshops in that area. Jams and workshops are open to any festival attendee so bring your instrument.
Workshops, Song Circles & Jams are open to anybody at the festival. These occur throughout the weekend and official ones are listed on the schedule.
Open Mics are available Friday evening on both the Cypress & Azalea stages. For those late night folks on Saturday check out “Cypress Stage After Hours”. It is an informal setting that involves open mics, jams and occasional showcases.
Sunday starts early for those so inclined with a "Gospel Sing Along" in the Workshop 1 area hosted by Art Crummer. Things wrap up on Sunday with this year’s closing theme of “Heritage & Hope", hosted by Amy Carol Webb. Young performers will present their original song, then we close with the "Hour of Power" and a finale with all festival performers joining in.
Hope you enjoy this year’s festival! Thanks for supporting “live music”
The Will McLean Foundation