15th Annual Magnolia Fest Sings of the Spirit of the Suwannee

The 15th annual Magnolia Fest will take place October 20-23 in the beautiful Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL. Though it is now under new ownership, the line-up is noteworthy and the fine entertainment quality of previous years is expected. BFMN will have team members on site to bring you news, reviews and photos so - if you can’t be there yourself - watch this space!

A Parade will take place on Saturday morning starting at 11 am. This year you are invited to decorate your golf carts and join in the Parade!

There will be, as usual, a variety of family-friendly activities as well as scheduled events at the Kids Tent, Yoga in the Meadow, and a new dining area at the Food Vending Village.

The entertainment line-up is, as always, incredible!

Starting at 6 pm on Thursday evening in the Amphitheater, kLoB, a 5-piece band out of Jacksonville, Florida will take the stage and the evening will be closed out for the hardy by a performance from 11pm to 1 am by the returning 7 Walkers.

Saturday morning you will have the option of joining in for peace songs sing-along in the meadow, followed by Yoga at 10 am (on Friday Saturday and Sunday).

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones will be returning with the original line-up and Keller Williams is teaming up with the Travelin McCourys. The Travelin McCourys will be hosting an all-star jam Friday night, and with the talent on hand it should be quite a jam!

The music starts at noon on Friday in the Amphitheater, 1pm in the Chrunchay Compound (Music Hall) and Front Porch and at 2 pm Tornado Rider will open the Meadow Stage.

On Saturday, Anders Osborne will be making his first appearance at Magnolia Fest along with several other great artists from New Orleans who will be playing throughout the weekend.

Returning will be the always popular Donna the Buffalo, Jim Lauderdale, the Mosier Brothers, Col Bruce Hampton and the Quark Alliance, Cornmeal and Dread Clampitt and others.

Sunday is Vassar Clements Day. Join us at noon for Gospel Music with the Lee Boys. Donna the Buffalo will be closing out the festival on Sunday evening.

Festival-style seating will be in effect so bring your lawn chairs and blankets.  No coolers, glass, alcoholic beverages, food or drink (other than water) may be brought into the festival area, and you should be prepared for security search of all bags and packs. If you have special food needs, please go by the Festival Office to get a Food Pass. For the safety of all, no dogs are allowed either in the campground or the festival areas. The only exceptions are for verifiable handicap-access canines or park residents.

The full festival and Sat/Sun festival ticket price includes park access, parking & primitive camping fees. There are primitive camping areas in different parts of the park (map), including the Pine Field, the Bird Sanctuary, Rees Lake and the Farm Field (the drum camp is located here so if you want quiet - this is not the place to be). Quiet camping is available upon request when you check in at the front gate.

If you would like a site with electric, water, and/or sewer, you should purchase an upgrade from the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park

Drum camp is an area complete with a drum circle ready for a bonfire. Please set up your camp in that area if you want to drum at your campsite, or go there when you’re ready to jam! No drumming will be allowed in other areas of the campground.

Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park lies on 580 beautifully-wooded acres down along the banks of Old Florida’s Suwannee River. Along with the camping, there are nearly 12 miles of trails suitable for hiking, biking, horseback riding and nature exploring. Bring along a fishing pole and wet a line from the dock on Rees Lake. Canoe and bike rentals are available at the on-site canoe outpost, or you can take a dip in the nearby Suwannee Springs.

Buy your tickets here and join in a great weekend of music, love, family and friendship!

~ Photos by Jim Messer