Sunshine State is known as the destination for dozens of outdoor music festivals each year, as Florida’s endless summers and year-round temperatures encourage outdoors.
St. Pete’s reggae up is already in the rearview mirror in 2025, with Country Thunder Florida taking place in Tampa’s new home, but this calendar year still has plenty for music lovers of all tastes.
From electronic dance music to hard rock, folk, jam bands and the Florida festival scene, there’s plenty to offer until December. While far from an exhaustive list, there are a few highlights.
Jim Lassoll / Saint Sentinel
Kid Rock will perform at Sunfest in 2014. The musician will be appearing in Rock the Country Ocala. (Sun Sentinel file)
Shaking Country Ocala
It will be billed as a “We the People” festival and will stop in 10 small towns around the US to lock your country tour. At Florida Horse Park in Ocala, country music fans can see performances of Kid Rock, Nickelback, Hank Williams Jr. and Tracy Lawrence. Participants will also be able to experience a throwback happy hour every day with Afroman, Inyang Twins and DeeJ Silver.
Date: May 9th-10th
Location: Florida Horse Park in Ocala
Tickets: Starting from $99.99 per day, or $149.99 for general weekend admission
More information: RockTheCountry.com
Welcome to Rockville
Daytona International Speedway’s four-day hard rock and heavy metal land in mid-May, welcome to Rockville set up a store for the annual festival. Over the long weekend, 150 bands will appear on five stages. Highlights from the lineup include Green Day, Linkin Park, Rob Zombie, Shinedown and Korn.
Date: May 15th-18th
Location: Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach
Tickets: Starting from $195 per day, $476.74 for general weekend admission
More details: welcomeTorockville.com
Jacksonville Jazz Festival
For over 40 years, the festival has United Jazz fans of all ages and backgrounds for weekend food, drinks, community and music. This year’s festival will feature Roots, Trombone Shorty, Cool & Gang, Janel Monae and Meisa. The outdoor festival is free to attend and will take place in the Tailgator parking lot near Everbank Stadium.
Date: May 23rd – 25th
Location: Tailgator Parking in Jacksonville
Tickets: Free attendance. Upgrading available VIPs and priority seats
More information: JacksonvilleJazzfest.com
Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel
97 Bell Carillon Tower is the focus of Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in White Springs. The park hosts its annual Florida Folk Festival. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
Florida Folk Festival
The tradition of over 70 years returns to the banks of the Suwanee River for an anniversary weekend. The 73rd Florida Folk Festival celebrates the music, dance, stories, crafts and food that make the Sunshine State unique. Participants will be able to enjoy over 300 performances focused on Florida heritage, banjo and fiddle contests, workshops, and food and craft vendors. The festival’s folk life area features demonstrations celebrating Florida’s diverse and historic lifestyle traditions.
Date: May 23rd – 25th
Location: Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park, White Springs
Tickets: $70 in advance for an adult weekend ticket, $80 in advance for a $80 in the gate
More information: floridastateparks.org
Forbidden Kingdom
Electronic dance music fans looking for a ton of bass can find what they need at Forbidden Kingdom, a two-day festival featuring dubstep and bass music for attendees over 18. Central Florida Fairgrounds hosts a large lineup of EDM artists and DJs. Highlights include slander, resection, Svdden Death, RL Grime, and Deadmau5. Insomniac, the same event producer behind EDC Orlando, is taking part in the festival.
Date: May 20th-21st
Location: Central Florida Fairgrounds in Orlando
Ticket: $104 a day. 2-day pass is $199
More information: forbiddingdomfestival.com
Singing a loud festival
St. Augustine’s annual Live Entertainment Land celebration is located in the city’s historic downtown area in Francisfield. Headliners for this year’s festival include Hozier, Beabadoobee, Vance Joy, Farter John Misty and The Teskey Brothers.
Date: September 30th-31st
Location: Francis Field, St. Augustine
Ticket: 2-day general admission fee is $245
More information: SingoutLoudFestival.com
III Points
This homemade Miami Music Festival features genre blending artists at the intersection of electronic, hip hop, indie and experimental music. The event, held in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood, features art and community across five city blocks. Artists in the 2025 lineup include Denzel Curry, Peggy Gou, Sean Paul and Turnstile.
Date: October 17th-18th
Location: Wynwood, Miami
Ticket: $229 for 2 days of general admission
More information: iiiipoints.com
festival
The independent festival celebrates underground punk, metal and ska at venues that span all over Gainesville. Propagandhi, Dillinger Four, Jeff Rosenstock and RX Bandits are at the top of this year’s festival posters. The fest includes 300 bands, comedians and wrestlers in the three-day venue.
Date: October 24th-26th
Location: Gainesville
Ticket: $216.95 for 3-day pass (1st tier)
More information: thefestfl.com
Suwannee Hulaween
Halloween, fantasy, art, music and The Great Outdoors all clash with this colorful, festive autumn celebration at the spirit of Swanny Music Park. The 800-acre park is known for hosting festivals throughout the year, from bluegrass to jam bands and DJs, but Hulaween is the most popular. Participants can dress up to the camp festival while listening to jam bands, electronic music, funk and more.
Date: October 30th – November. 2
Location: Live Oak’s Swanny Music Park Spirit
Ticket: $499.82 for a 4-day pass
More information: hulawen.com
EDC Orlando
Orlando’s larger-than-life electronic dance music festival returns to Tinker Field outside Camp World Stadium each November, welcoming an estimated 300,000 laborers over three days. The lineup for 2025 has not yet been revealed, but Ravers (ages 18 and above) can be expected to show the same high scores of art, fireworks, dancers and DJs every year.
Date: November 7th to 9th
Location: Tinker Field, Orlando
Ticket: $243.64 for a 3-day pass
More information: orlando.electricdaisycarnival.com
Tom Benitez/Orlando Sentinel
Central Florida Fairgrounds previously played host to Vans Warped Tour back to Camp World Stadium for two days in 2025. In this photo we see a Florida skapunk band playing by Jake. (Orlando Sentinel file)
Vans Tour Orlando
This year, the highly anticipated returns of Vans’ distorted tour lands in three cities are each holding a two-day alternative rock and punk music festival. The dates for Washington, DC, Long Beach, CA are sold out, but tickets are still available to the Orlando Festival. All time is less, fleeing fate, failing senses, mysterious years, the bride of the black veil, and the days to remember are just a few of the over 100 bands in Orlando’s lineup.
Date: November 15th-16th
Location: Camp World Stadium Campus in Orlando
Ticket: $249.98 for a 2-day pass (Tier 6)
More information: vanswarpedtourorlando.com
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