The 34th annual Springing the Blues Festival will take place this weekend, April 10-12, at Seawalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach. This beloved festival is one of the world’s finest blues music events and celebrates America’s indigenous musical form. The festival is family-friendly, free to the public and proudly features national, regional and local talent.
Sam Veal, founder of the festival, said that in 1990, times were tough. The United States was at war, inflation was high and people were discouraged. Veal thought that Jacksonville needed something exciting to bring them together and lift their spirits.
After recently attending the King Biscuit Festival, Veal was inspired. One night, he came up with the name, Springing the Blues, and began working on his idea for a blues festival in Jacksonville. Soon, the city was on board and, thanks to the hard work of volunteers, the first Springing the Blues festival was held in 1991. Ever since, the festival has been a celebration of good music and beautiful spring weather.
The festival proudly supports their partners at the National Marrow Donor Program, which is a global leader in bone marrow and blood stem transplant. Veal shared their tagline: “One swab plus one match equals one life.”
The festival will host a fundraiser during the event and encourages others to register for the donor program. Veal said that Lloyd Hyatt, one of the festival’s longtime board members, was going through chemo and received a bone marrow transplant, which helped save his life. At the festival, Hyatt will get the opportunity to meet his donor, a young man from Germany named Jonas Kuschel.
The three-day festival has an exciting lineup of artists from across the country and as far as Norway. Just a few of the talented artists attending include Angelique Francis, James Armstrong, Toronzo Cannon, Vanessa Collier, Nikki Hill, Otto Junior and Smokestack.
At Springing the Blues, incredible food is just as much a part of the experience as the music. Vendors will have a lot of delicious options for guests to choose from, including both festival and local favorites. There will be an arts marketplace, fun kids’ activities and of course, the natural beauty of Jacksonville Beach.
Although the festival is free, VIP tickets are available for an elevated experience. Tickets include admission to the VIP area, backstage VIP and Artist’s Lounge, grille, specialty bar and more. To learn more and purchase VIP tickets, go to https://www.springingtheblues.com.
