The Midland Music Fest is returning for the second year to the Midland Greenway in Gainesville, featuring live music, a beer garden and food trucks for a full evening of entertainment.
Memorial Day weekend in Gainesville this year will feature an increasingly popular event: the Midland Music Festival. Hosted on the Midland Greenway, eventgoers will have the chance to enjoy live music from RUMORS: A Fleetwood Mac Tribute band and Carboard Willie. Festival spots are first-come, first-served, and all attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets.
“We will be selling tickets at the gate for $30, and $25 ahead of time, and there will also be VIP tickets available,” Midland Music Fest Chairman Tommy Howard said. “There will be parking available at the decks downtown as well as street parking. We’ll also have VIP parking for those that have bought VIP tickets, but it is limited. So please come early to take advantage of that.”
Event officials are expecting a high turnout. Last year’s festival brought in roughly 800 people, and this year Howard says they plan to host many more than that.
The idea for the Midland Music Fest originated from a desire to celebrate the centennial birthday of the Rotary Club of Gainesville.
“We wanted to come up with a project to signify that and so the proceeds will actually go to the Hart Joiner Fund, which is a charity for children's education that we have internally through our club and we will also be contributing proceeds for a new amphitheater, which will be constructed in the Midland Parkway,” Howard said.
The Hart Joiner Endowment Fund for Children and Youth has been awarding funds and assisting local children for 15 years. Since 2002, they have contributed over $150,000 to local youth-related causes.
The Rotary Club and the Gainesville Parks and Recreation Department are partnering with the intent to construct a new amphitheater so more events similar to the Midland Music Fest can be hosted on the Greenway.
Gates to the festival open at 5 p.m. on May 27, with the first performance by Cardboard Willie at 6 p.m. RUMORS will follow at 8 p.m. VIP tickets cost $150 and will allow attendees into their own area with food and drinks available.
Pets are not allowed into the event and children age 12 and under do not need a ticket in order to attend. The music fest is a rain-or-shine event.
