As this year’s festival season kicks off, you may hear the river calling as the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park and Live Nation put on Wanee 2017. Rest your bones by the waterside and listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock your soul on April 20-22. The festival features Widespread Panic, Gov’t Mule and former Grateful Dead guitarist, Bob Weir & his Campfire Band. Every year, Wanee attracts thousands to set up camp in these magical woods for a weekend’s escape from reality.
UPDATE: The Wanee 2017 schedule is now available. Scroll to the bottom of the post to see when your favorite bands are playing.
Going home, going home.
By the waterside I will rest my bones.
Listen to the river sing sweet songs.
To rock my soul.
"Brokedown Palace" (The Grateful Dead)
The festival kicked off in 2005 as a two-day festival and featured only 11 performers on its original ticket (festival founders The Allman Brothers and their assorted side projects, including Gov’t Mule and the Derek Trucks Band). The festival has expanded and grown immensely over the years, but the heart of the festival has remained the same.
At this year’s festival you’ll still find smiling hippies hanging out under Spanish moss-covered trees near the main stages, the beloved Peach and the Mushroom Stages. The Wanee of today has expanded, stretches across a three-day span and has featured up to 40-plus acts in previous years. This year's lineup includes over 20 acts and is expected to match or exceed last year’s record attendance of 16,000 people. With that many people packed into the park for one music-filled weekend, there’s sure to be plenty of good energy in the air. Expect it to feed you as you sway to the smooth bass and sing along to your favorite tunes.
The Spirit of Suwannee Music Park is located near the panhandle in Live Oak, Florida and hosts a wide array of festivals throughout the year. A ticket to Wanee’s 2017 festival will cost you $239.95 plus a $25 service fee, with kids six and under receiving free admission (children 12 and under are half-price). Your ticket includes your admission into the festival, three nights of primitive camping, and access to all the beauty the grounds have to offer. Local vendors offer an array of handmade goods and accessories, as well as delicious hot food to get you through those long hours of dancing the night away. Potable water stations are located throughout the grounds and shower facilities are available as well.
A looming ferris wheel spins brightly over the grounds, illuminated by LEDs tracked to display beautiful moving patterns of light; all of it adds to the fantasy of the world that surrounds you. But if heights aren’t your thing, you can also travel down the good ol’ Suwannee river by canoe or go searching for the garden gnomes scattered throughout the grounds. Whatever you end up doing at Wanee this year, you’ll be sure to have a mystical, wonder-filled experience full of love, LEDs, and jam bands.
Spirit of Suwannee Music Park is located at 3076 95th Drive Live Oak, Florida 32060.
This article appears in Apr 13-20, 2017.