For the last three years, a wide open space down in the swamps of south Florida has been hosting one of the fastest growing music festivals of the spring. Okeechobee Music Festival has been a Florida favorite for years, but is on track to grow into a household name, like Bonnaroo or VooDoo. Which makes us wonder, why would they stop now?
Rumors have been swirling over social media for months around the possibility of the festival not returning. In years past, ticket pre sale was launched in July, and the lineup released in the fall months. Leaving plenty of time for festival goers to secure their tickets before the March date.
However, this year there has been no ticket pre sale, no line up release, and on the official website the last news update circles all the way back to mid June. This is not a good sign for a festival set to commence in just five short months.
The official accounts have remained very tight lipped on the state of the event, leaving their thousands of fans in the dark. The last hint towards any news was the official Instagram’s ominous post on September 13, “Hang in there… info coming soon #omf” This doesn’t exactly come off to me as the kind of caption hinting at good news.
As someone who has attended OMF since it’s inception, I would be heartbroken if we never saw another one. I’ve been to countless festivals all over the country, and something about Chobee is just different and special.
Some of my favorite memories and lifelong friendships were formed because I decided to attend. From the camping, to the food, to the incredibly diverse line up, I know I speak for thousands when I say we don’t want Chobee going anywhere.
At this point, all we can do is monitor the official accounts and pray for a surprise line up drop. I’ll be hopefully watching.
