Galactic heads the list of acts announced today to round out the free final day of DeLuna Fest, the three-day music festival set for Oct. 15-17 on Pensacola Beach. / Special to GoPensacola.com
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DeLuna Fest organizers are tying a bow on the lineup for the final day of the three-day music festival, set for Oct. 15 through 17 on Casino Beach.
Organizers with Five Flags Tourism Group announced five new bands today or the Oct. 17 lineup, which will be presented free of charge. The new additions include:
Galactic: New Orleans-based jazz/funk jam quintet with a reputation for energetic live performances and for mixing elements of hip-hop and electronica into its sound.
The Revivalists: New Orleans-based indie-rock sextet that incorporates elements of funk and jazz into its eclectic sound.
Honey Island Swamp Band: Named Best Emerging Artist 2009 by Offbeat Magazine, the New Orleans-based quartet incorporates elements of Americana and country into swampy New Orleans blues.
The Smart Brothers: Pensacola is a home away from home for brothers Jay and Lou Smart, who are based in San Diego but tour the world performing a unique brand of Americana and folk music. The duo spend a couple of months each year in Pensacola and are often mistaken for locals.
Adam Holt and the Sunday Troubadours: A fixture on the Pensacola music scene, Holt is set to release a new CD of original material this year.
Organizers also announced that Cowboy Mouth, the popular and raucous New Orleans rock band that was previously announced as among the acts playing during the festival's paid days, have been moved to the free final day.
These acts join iconic country music star Willie Nelson, New Orleans jazz legend Kermit Ruffins & the Barbeque Swingers and New Orleans funk band Big Sam's Funky Nation on the lineup for the free day, which is being provided thanks to $300,000 organizers received last week from the Escambia County Tourist Development Council. That money came from $25 million given to the State of Florida by BP in light of the Gulf oil spill.
Replacing Cowboy Mouth during the festival's paid days will be New Politics, the Danish alt-rock trio whose debut single, "Yeah Yeah Yeah," is climbing the charts.
The festival will also add Australian band Long-Reef, which has become something of a fixture on the local scene of late with regular performances at The Fish House Deck Bar, to the paid lineup.
Today's announcement leaves four or five acts to be announced for the festival lineup. Organizers are still seeking two gospel acts to open the Sunday lineup, abnd may add one more New Orleans act to the bill. The other two acts, which will open the GoPensacola.com stage on the festival's two paid days, will be chosen via the "Take Your Shot at the Opening Slot" contest, sponsored by GoPensacola.com and local rock raido station TK101. Bands that wish to be considered for the contest have until 5 p.m. Friday to enter. Details are available at GoPensacola.com or www.tk101.com.
Those who already have purchased tickets for the festival are guaranteed entry on Oct. 17 as a free day added on. Any weekend passes purchased going forward include Oct. 17 admission, as well.
For those who do not wish to purchase weekend passes, free tickets for Oct. 17 will be made available starting early in September on a first-come, first-served basis. As many as 50,000 free tickets will be distributed, including the weekend passes.
Headliners for the two paid days of DeLuna Fest include Stone Temple Pilots, Daughtry, 311, Bush, Dierks Bentley, 30 Seconds to Mars and Michael Franti & Spearhead.
Advanced weekend passes, which include admission to all three days of the festival and guarantee admission to the free third day, are available for $80 at www.deluna fest.com through Tuesday. On Wednesday, that price goes up to $90. Also on Wednesday, single-day passes for the first two days of the festival will be made available at $47.50 each. Purchase of single-day tickets will not guarantee admission for the free day. Festival organizers expect to announce the daily festival lineup when single-day tickets go on sale.
Aside from the free day, which is being paid for by public money, the festival is largely supported by more than a dozen private sponsors including Sam's Club, Tom Thumb, Kona Longboard Beer, Drifter Pale Ale beer, the Pensacola News Journal, GoPensacola.com, MediaCom, Cox Communications, the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front, Hampton Inn, Land Shark and Bud Light.
