17 February 16-22, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | Music | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | Bills! Bills! Bills! Make room on your calendar for South Florida’s best music festivals. BY JESSE SCOTT B ust out the Sharpie and circle South Florida’s biggest music festivals on this year’s calendar. Sure, it’s early, and some questions — particularly about December faves like Vibra Urbana, Rakas- tella, and Audacy Beach Festival — remain, like date confirmations, lineup details, and all that goodness. But, for the bulk of ‘em, we’ve dug in and gotten the juicy details. The general sentiment: We’re ready to rock the hell out. Here are the ten best South Florida music festivals to get amped for this year. We Belong Here The lux and intimate boutique festival is growing in a few awesome ways this year. First, it’s expanding from one day to two days with headliners performing three-hour ex- tended sets. As for those headliners, dance lu- minaries Kaskade and Lane 8 are among a lengthy list providing the good vibes on Vir- ginia Beach Key all weekend long. Other new facets: There will be VIP table service from SLS Hyde Beach, a new third stage called the Lost Village, and Smorgasburg will provide culinary treats. Saturday, February 25, and Sunday, February 26, at Virginia Key Beach, 4020 Virginia Beach Dr., Miami; webelongh- ere.world. Tickets cost $49 to $499 via posh.vip. Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival A few hours north of downtown Miami, this is the furthest-away South Florida fest to make the list, but it’s totally worth the trip. Headliners for this year’s four-day event in- clude bass master Excision (Thursday), Washington-bred duo Odesza (Friday), sax- jamming DJ Griz (Saturday), and rapper ex- traordinaire Baby Keem (Sunday). As tantalizing as the 120-plus artist lineup is, the grounds are equally so, with an overarching portal vibe that’s an escape from the real world, immersive art installations, yoga, well- ness happenings, and onsite camping that is always a hit. Thursday, March 2, through Sun- day, March 5, at Sunshine Grove, 12517 NE 91st Ave., Okeechobee; okeechobeefest.com. Tickets cost $349 to $3,850 via frontgatetickets.com. Jazz in the Gardens Jazz may be in its name, but there is oh-so- much-more musical excellence to this two- day affair than just jazz. For two days in March, Hard Rock Stadium will be morphed into a diverse musical utopia, with this year’s lineup having a noticeably soulful flair. Big names on the bill include platinum soulstress Jill Scott, singer-actress Erykah Badu, and R&B quartet Jodeci. There are al- ways wild cards, too. This year, they come in the form of performances by Mr. “Dutty Rock” himself, Sean Paul, and a gospel gig from Chandler Moore. Saturday, March 11, and Sunday, March 12, at Hard Rock Stadium, 347 Don Shula Dr., Miami Gardens; jazzinthe- gardens.com. Tickets cost $105 to $1,525 via ticketmaster.com. Calle Ocho Music Festival Memorable music spectacles don’t need to come with a payment plan. Case in point: Calle Ocho Music Festival. It’s totally free. (There’s a VIP passport for purchase for special stage viewing and artist moments.) While this year’s headliners haven’t been announced just yet, count on the carnaval magic to remain. This equates to 15 blocks of festival euphoria, with vendors, grub, and shaking asses everywhere. On the music front, this fest has been a jumping-off point for some of Latin music’s finest like Selena and Tito Puente Jr. Sunday, March 12, on Calle Ocho between SW 12th and 27th Avenues, Miami; carnavalmiami.com. Admission is free; VIP tickets cost $125 via eventbrite.com. Ultra Music Festival Ultra is shaping up to be a banger in 2023. In December, the mega electronic music festival announced its latest wave of headliners, in- cluding Marshmello, Alesso, Tiesto, David Guetta, and many more big-name DJs con- verging on Bayfront Park. Some of the fest’s most magical moments come in the form of collaborative sets, with promises of a first- ever Jauz B2B Svdden Death set as well as a Nicole Moudaber B2B Chris Liebing set this year. Friday, March 24, through Sunday, March 26, at Bayfront Park, 301 Biscayne Blvd., Mi- ami; ultramusicfestival.com. Tickets cost $399 to $1,499 via frontgatetickets.com. Tortuga Music Festival This year marks Tortuga Music Festival’s tenth anniversary. Born and bred on Fort Lauderdale Beach, the country fest — with dabbles of crossover-genre delights each year — is doing it right for such a milestone. Head- liners of the three-day affair include industry icons Kenny Chesney, Shania Twain, and Eric Church. As for those wild-card perfor- mances, they come in the form of sets by “Black and Yellow” and “Young, Wild & Free” rapper Wiz Khalifa and rockers the Wallflowers. The fest is put on by the nonprofit Rock the Ocean, which has a stellar ocean conserva- tion message and volunteer/clean-up oppor- tunities for fans year round. Friday, April 14, through Sunday, April 16, at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park, 1100 S. Seabreeze Blvd., Fort Lau- derdale; tortugamusicfestival.com. Tickets cost $279 to $2,199 via frontgatetickets.com. SunFest In late January, SunFest organizers con- firmed all systems are a go for its 39th year. The downtown West Palm Beach fest will happen May 5-7 on the Intracoastal-adja- cent Flagler Drive. While the lineup has yet to be announced, this is the type of experi- ence that typically appeals to fans across the musical spectrum. Last year’s lineup in- cluded rapper Lil Wayne, mega-DJ Steve Aoki, rising indie-pop trio AJR, and multi- platinum rockers the Goo Goo Dolls. Friday, May 5, through Sunday, May 7, on Flagler Drive between Banyan Boulevard and Lakev- iew Avenue, West Palm Beach; sunfest.com. Ticket prices TBD. Rolling Loud Is Ye (née Kanye West) going to make an ap- pearance? Will Lil Uzi Vert return with spiky hair after debuting it in Miami last year? Which hip-hop royalty will we be graced with after Future and Three 6 Mafia killed it last year? There are so many ques- tions as everyone awaits the 2023 lineup for Rolling Loud Miami, particularly after such a headline-grabbing 2022. Until those an- swers come, we know it will be back July 21- 23. Friday, July 21, through Sunday, July 23, at Hard Rock Stadium, 347 Don Shula Dr., Miami Gardens; rollingloud.com. Ticket prices TBD. III Points Can you believe it? This year marks ten years since the first III Points went down in Wyn- wood. Since then, it has emerged as a quint- essential annual experience for the city. In 2022, the festival delivered memorable sets from LCD Soundsystem, Flume, and Rosalía. In years past, it hosted Wu-Tang Clan, Rüfus Du Sol, and SZA, among many others. As the anticipation builds for a lineup announce- ment, good vibes are guaranteed with live graffiti art, Wynwood-born grub, the Red Bull Graviton bar with Miami-grown artists, and so much more 305 flair. Friday, October 20, and Saturday, October 21, at Mana Wyn- wood, 2217 NW Fifth Ave., Miami; iiipoints. com. Tickets cost $169 to $499 via frontga- tetickets.com. Vibrana Urbana As of press time here early in the year, Vibra Urbana 2023 is officially a go. Launched in 2020 at the Watsco Center, this thumpin’ af- fair has quickly become the largest reggaeton festival in the United States. The 2022 version marked explosive growth for the fest, which moved to the Miami-Dade County Fair & Expo grounds. Last year’s lineup included J. Balvin, Maluma, Nicky Jam, and Don Omar among its 40-plus artist roster. Looking at last year’s timeline, the lineup and tickets dropped in August, and the fest happened in December. So, mark your calendars accord- ingly. TBD date, location, and ticket prices; vi- braurbanafest.com.
[email protected] ▼ Music Ultra Music Festival returns to Bayfront Park on March 24-26. Ultra Music Festival photo THIS YEAR MARKS TEN YEARS SINCE THE FIRST III POINTS WENT DOWN IN WYNWOOD.
