On September 17 and 18, 2022 the Seawalk Pavilion, located oceanfront in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, hosted the second annual Florida Fin Fest. The festival was a free 2-day event with a focus on educating the public about ocean conservation, shark awareness and sustainability. The event benefits OCEARCH at Jacksonville University, a nonprofit dedicated to research, education and outreach to accelerate the ocean’s return to balance. Approximately 25,000 attendees participated over the course of the weekend.
The family-friendly event (including pets) provides a fun environment with nationally touring music acts, one-of-a-kind hands-on learning experiences, talks from renowned guest speakers and science experts, and a festival village full of environmentally conscious brands. The guest speaker series covered marine science conservation, micro-fibers, micro-plastics and marine debris, sea level rise and adaptation, and water quality (implications and solutions). After exploring the vendor village, attendees were able to choose from a delicious lineup of food trucks including pizza, BBQ, kebabs, tacos, Greek food and ice cream.
The music element of the event had bands performing on the Seawalk Pavilion stage all day. The venue’s capacity has seating for 3,000. Each day the doors opened at noon. Live music lovers had their pick of the best spot on the grassy lawn to sit and relax picnic style or dance to their favorite sounds. A VIP experience was offered for the music portions for fans that wanted to step it up that included 2-day all-inclusive food, beverage and shaded viewing seats.
Opening acts on Saturday included rock band, The B Sides, Florida’s favorite musical duo, The Ries Brothers and Jacksonville’s own booty-shakin’ blues trio, Honey Hounds. Moon Taxi, a 5-piece band hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, headlined the evening. Their set included many fun favorites like, “Hometown Heroes,” “Two High,” and the always popular, “All Day, All Night.” Their genre-bending musicality explores everything from folk to soul to inventively crafted electronic pop.
Sunday Funday kicked off with sets from acid-rock reggae band, Bigly; Annie Dukes, a Florida original rock-n-roll band and funky soulful sounds of The Band Be Easy. The headliner that night was John Oates and the Good Road Band. John Oates, original member of Hall and Oates, has formed a blues supergroup. Oates performed songs from throughout his career including songs from his most recent roots-focused solo project, Arkansas (2018).
Real Time Entertainment and Management (RTEAM) handled the production of the festival. RTEAM has developed an acclaimed reputation in the industry as a full-service entertainment company. Their services include talent buying, artist management, event production and artist relations. According to a previous news release, brothers Niko and Lukas Costas are creators and founders of this event. Lukas Costas states, “We hope to inspire our attendees to make one small change in their daily lives to improve our planet while enjoying an unforgettable experience immersed in music, conservation and education.”
Additional partners for the Florida Fin Festival include: The Ocean Conservancy, Yellowfin Realty, Michelob Ultra Pure Gold, The Museum of Science and History (MOSH), Open Water, iHeartMedia, NexGen, Gratitude Organic Iced Tea, Press Seltzer, 904HappyHour, Fur Ever Yum, John’s Automotive, Blue Jay Listening Room, and more.
Visit FLFINFEST.COM for more information and updates on their next event.
