Hollow World Festival puts Pensacola, Northwest Florida bands centerstage

If there’s anyone who loves a good music festival, it’s Zachary Huot.

When he’s not on stage with his band, Cavae Mundi, you will find Huot in the crowd, enjoying the show. But in recent years, something else started to happen as well.

“I just kind of getting inspired by music festivals every time I went to them,” Huot said. “And I was like, man, I hate that Pensacola doesn’t have anything like this anymore, that’s based around original music. We have a bunch of little festivals and stuff around here but none of them are based around just bands, you know? And like, art.”

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After years of development and conceptualization, Huot is ready to bring his idea to life, debuting Pensacola’s first-ever Hollow World Festival on May 27.

“That was like the whole thing,” Huot said. “To create a cool experience. Something that people could look forward to every year and be part of the community.”

After securing the venue exactly one year ago, Huot immediately began the planning process.

“It's been a hard year planning and three years of just conceptualizing and thinking about it,” Huot said. “I was going to as many shows as I could and finding the people that I think (were) doing something interesting. I was really big on trying to make sure that the people that we have there are good people too. You wanna know it's gonna run smoothly.”

Thirteen bands will take the stage at Hunter Amphitheater in the Vince Whibbs Community Maritime Park in Downtown Pensacola, with Cavae Mundi as the headliner. Local and regional bands such as Feed Lemon, About To Sweat, Nervous Pulp, Glazed Eyes, Paid to Pretend, Cittagaze, Siren and the Mudpuppies, GLSNR, Mid Evil Times, Morning Trips, Surrounder, and Elder Flowers will round out the inaugural lineup.

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In addition to live music, there will also be food trucks, art booths and drinks from the Handlebar.

“It’s gonna be pretty straightforward for this first year,” Huot said. “Obviously we’re wanting to grow it and get more known headliners for next year’s festival. I definitely want this to be a thing that happens every year. That’s the plan. But I still want to maintain the focus on Pensacola and turn it into something you know you can be proud of.”

Tickets for Hollow World Fest are now on sale for $25. For more information, visit www.hollowworldfest.com.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola Hollow World Fest at Community Maritime Park Amphitheater