Music festivals are typically associated with the spring and summer, but in the Southeast popular fests have become commonplace during the winter. Most of these events take place in Florida but other destinations include a cave in Tennessee, a historic site in Savannah and a music cruise from Miami to an island in Belize. Here are seven Southern-based wintertime music events between early January and the spring equinox on March 20 that will appeal to fans of multiple genres. And as always, check websites for COVID-19 protocols and schedules, which are subject to change.
South Beach Jazz Festival
Showcasing varying styles of jazz, the sixth-annual South Beach Jazz Festival takes place at multiple venues throughout Miami Beach. What sets this festival apart is that every act on the bill has at least one member with a disability. “The sheer talent of the artists promotes the festival’s dual goal to entertain and to define others by ability rather than disability,” said founder David New. “The festival is all about bringing our community together through the universal sound of music.” The lineup includes world-renowned acts and regional favorites. The Grammy Award-winning Blind Boys of Alabama will headline this year’s festival at the North Beach Bandshell on January 7 at an opening night event called SoBe in NoBe. Other acts throughout the weekend include the SoBe Jazz Big Band with special guest Maryel Epps and the 100-member Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida performing with an orchestra. The festival concludes on Sunday evening with the progressive Brazilian jazz of Munir Hossn & Elas. (Jan. 7-9. Free; ticketed events $35 and up. Multiple venues in Miami Beach. 786-607-5299, sobejazzfestival.com.)
RokIsland Fest
Key West, Florida, is the site of the inaugural RokIsland Fest held over the MLK holiday weekend. Rock and heavy metal hitmakers from the 1980s fill the bill at the Truman Waterfront Park Amphitheater, including Poison frontman Bret Michaels headlining on Friday night, Cheap Trick on Saturday, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister fame on Sunday and Kennesaw’s Jackyl on Monday. The amphitheater boasts great sightlines to the stage from every vantage point, front to back, and its waterfront location on the west side of the island makes it a good spot to take in the famous Key West sunsets while enjoying a concert. (Jan. 14-17. $99 and up per day, $399 and up for four-day passes. Truman Waterfront Park Amphitheater, 21 Quay Road, Key West, Florida. 844-765-7338, www.rokislandfest.com)
Credit: Patrick Tewey
Credit: Patrick Tewey
Mile 0 Fest
“Red dirt Americana” is how the organizers describe the music at the Mile 0 Fest, also held in Key West. Founded in 2017, it’s a boutique festival where the focus is on the fan experience with an attendance cap to keep overcrowding at bay. Like the RokIsand Fest, Truman Waterfront Park Amphitheater serves as the nexus point for the festivities, with local bars and restaurants also staging gigs. The bill for the 2022 lineup features Americana acts with Randy Rogers Band, Parker McCollum and Ryan Bingham headlining. (Jan. 25-29. $69 and up per day, $499 and up for five-day passes. Truman Waterfront Park Amphitheater, 21 Quay Road, Key West, Florida.866-627-2163, mile0fest.com)
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Voragos
Music cruises have exploded in popularity over the last decade with the Atlanta-based company Sixthman at the forefront of this trend. Voragos, presented in conjunction with Danny Wimmer Presents, is the newest and the first of 15 music cruises currently on the Sixthman calendar for 2022. The Voragos lineup caters to fans of hard rock and comedy. Rob Zombie, formerly of White Zombie, is the featured act. Zombie will perform on the stage at Lunasea Beach on Harvest Caye in Belize after the Norwegian Pearl arrives from the Port of Miami. Mudvayne will also be performing on the beach stage in Belize. Onboard the ship to Belize and back there will be multiple concerts on a variety of stages including stand-up comedy from Rachel Feinstein and others. (Feb. 16-21. $940 and up, includes room, meals and concerts. Port of Miami cruise terminal, 1015 N. America Way, Miami, Florida. 833-935-2771, www.voragos.com)
Savannah Stopover
Indie music fans congregate in a historic setting during the Savannah Stopover, a two-day festival founded in 2011 as a stopover gig for acts on their way to South by Southwest, the nation’s most prominent wintertime music event in Austin, Texas. Held on the grounds of the Georgia State Railroad Museum, a National Historic Site, this year’s event features a special performance by Pylon Reenactment Society, a spinoff of the influential Athens ‘80s band Pylon with frontwoman Vanessa Briscoe Hay as lead singer. Another famed Athens act, of Montreal, will headline, as will Nashville chanteuse Soccer Mommy and alt-country band American Aquarium. (March 11-12. $54 and up per day, $89 and up for passes. Georgia State Railroad Museum, 655 Louisville Road, Savannah. 912-651-6823, www.savannahstopover.com)
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
Innings Festival
This festival combines music with Major League Baseball’s spring training season. The Innings Festival began in Arizona in 2018 but in 2022 makes its inaugural appearance in Tampa, Florida, bringing top rock, pop, and alternative acts to the grounds of Raymond James Stadium to perform on three stages with no overlapping sets. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame pop-punkers Green Day will headline the first night, with folk-rockers The Lumineers at the top of the bill on the second night. Along with the slate of musical acts scheduled to perform there will also be a slew of MLB baseball legends making appearances, including former Atlanta Braves star outfielder Andruw Jones. (March 19-20. $99 and up per day; $165 and up for passes. Raymond James Stadium, 4201 N. Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa, Florida. 813-350-6500, https://www.inningsfestival.com/florida)
Credit: Blake Guthrie
Credit: Blake Guthrie
Bluegrass Underground
Bluegrass Underground isn’t technically a music festival but an Emmy Award-winning PBS television series that tapes before a live audience in The Caverns, a venue in a cave in Pelham, Tennessee. After a hiatus due to the pandemic, the show will tape season 11 over a three-day weekend in mid-March with an array of notable roots and bluegrass acts including Asleep at the Wheel, the Milk Carton Kids, Shooter Jennings and Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway. The temperature in the cave remains the same year-round, so if 68 degrees is a problem, bring a light jacket for the shows. The Caverns stages concerts year-round in its underground facility and has a new amphitheater above ground for when the weather turns warmer. (March 18-20. $60 and up per day; $314 for three-day passes. The Caverns, 555 Charlie Roberts Road, Pelham, Tennessee. 931-516-9724, www.thecaverns.com)
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