Got time to spend three days in one of Tampa Bay’s most charming little seaside towns? Hope so. After six years, the Safety Harbor Songfest has given itself a makeover and transitioned from a one-day, two-stage affair into a three-day party that’ll utilize two in-town venues (Safety Harbor Art and Music Center and Crooked Thumb Brewery, who’ll host shows on April 5 and April 7, respectively) as well as one room that’s just outside of city limits (the Margarete Heye Great Room at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater) that hosts shows on April 6.
Headliners at Songfest include North Carolina folk-rock outfit Delta Rae, captivating activist author and songwriter Rev. Sekou and songwriters like Shawn Mullins and Eliot Bronson, but the bill is also peppered with strong regional talent like The Currys and Hannah Harber. A schedule, plus links to single-day or full weekend passes, is available via safetyharborsongfest.com.
If you're looking for a festival chock full of local acts, then check in with the Music and Recording Arts kids at St. Petersburg College who have been tasked with booking and operating a music festival. Saturday, April 6 finds them linking up with their cohorts at USF St. Petersburg to stage Williams Park's Good Vibes Only Art & Music Festival, where a handful of both schools’ musicians (including Vetnough and Esque) will bring their bands to play two stages ahead of a set from headlining soul singer CeCe Teneal. More information on this show is available via Facebook.
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This article appears in Apr 4-11, 2019.