Sing Out Loud music festival coming to St. Augustine

St. Augustine welcomes Sing Out Loud, celebrating September as the month for musicians and music enthusiasts to enjoy a little bit of everything in the Ancient City.

Headliners include Mumford & Sons, The Black Keys, Lord Huron, Maggie Rogers, Yola, War Hippies, Elle King, Amos Lee, and S.G. Goodman and as among those featured during the festival’s first, two-day event on Friday, Sept. 23, and Saturday, Sept. 24, at Francis Field.

One of the festival’s performers, Cat Ridgeway, lead singer of the local band “Cat and the Tourists,” described the event as undeniably exciting.

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“As an indie artist, the excitement is twofold,” she said. “Folks behind the scenes consciously leverage the buzz to spotlight and help elevate the local music scene while organizers use their powers for good."

Ryan Hall, Public Relations & Sponsorships Manager of St. Johns County Cultural Events described the September celebration as a great way to showcase and guide local talent, boost tourism and support local businesses.

“Not only do does Sing Out Loud provide music for the community to enjoy, local bands will be able to fine-tune their sound by working with industry professionals,” he said.

According to Hall, under the guise of artistic development, local bands and musicians will meet with music professionals at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall. Sound engineers will be on hand to assist with live sound and stage presence and a production team will offer tips for onsite setup. Musicians can also schedule a professional photo shoot.

Hall said September is chosen to infuse music enthusiasts into St. Augustine during the City’s slowest time of year for tourism.

Sing Out Loud culminates with a Songwriters Festival scheduled for Friday, Sept. 29, through Sunday, Oct, 1. Country music songwriters will mingle with fans and music’s top-charting artists to share the stories behind the songs.

Curated and produced by St. Johns County Cultural Events, Sing Out Loud has hosted over 250,000 fans and 1,300 musicians and raised over $300,000 for a myriad of St. Augustine’s non-profit organizations since its inception in 2016.

Proceeds from Sing Out Loud 2023 will go to the St. Johns County School District to support K-12 music education and the First Responder Project to support education and resources for mental wellness for the County’s First Responders.

"Sing Out Loud has always served as a powerful platform of amplifying our local music scene and supporting local organizations looking to make a difference," Gabriel Pellicer, General Manager of St. Johns County Cultural Events, said.

For the two-day event at Francis Field, music enthusiasts can purchase a one-day and two-day general admission passes.

For more information visit https://www.singoutloudfestival.com/

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Sing Out Loud music festival coming to St. Augustine