I am always scouring social media and websites looking for the best festivals possible which fit my lineup of music, and what this website strives to cover. This Florida based festival offers some mighty fine Americana and Bluegrass music of many varieties and is in a truly luxurious part of Florida.
This takes place March 16-18th in St. Augustine Florida at the St. Augustine Amphitheater, and features many of the acts are scheduled to play twice, which I wish some festivals would do more often so I could have better prep time and meal breaks when I am covering live festivals. There are three stages included in this event the Main Stage, The Parking Lot Stage and the Acoustic Stage.
The Anastasia Music Festival is an epic 3-day music festival featuring over 20 of the brightest traditional and modern bluegrass musicians touring today! Hosted at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre in beautiful St. Augustine, Florida on March 16, 17 and 18!
Children 10 and under are free with paid adult admission!
Friday March 17, 2017 Lineup and Schedule
12:00pm – 12:45pm The Honeycutters (Main Stage)
12:30pm – 1:30pm I Like Dandelions (Acoustic Stage)
1:00pm – 2:00pm Grits & Soul (Front Porch Stage)
1:15pm – 2:15pm The Broomestix (Main Stage)
2:00pm – 3:00pm Flagship Romance (Acoustic Stage)
2:45pm – 3:45pm Fruition (Main Stage)
3:00pm – 4:00pm Dustbowl Revival (Front Porch Stage)
4:00pm – 5:00pm Nikki Talley (Acoustic Stage)
4:15pm – 5:15pm Cabinet (Main Stage)
5:00pm – 6:00pm Mandolin Orange (Front Porch Stage)
5:45pm – 7:00pm David Grisman’s Bluegrass Experience (Main Stage)
6:00pm – 7:00pm Robbie Dammit & The Broken Strings (Acoustic Stage)
6:45pm – 8:00pm The Travelin’ McCourys (Front Porch Stage)
7:30pm – 8:45pm Elephant Revival (Main Stage)
8:00pm – 9:00pm Paper Bird (Acoustic Stage)
8:45pm – 9:45pm Jon Stickley Trio (Front Porch Stage)
9:15pm – 10:30pm The Del McCoury Band (Main Stage)
Saturday March 18, 2017 Lineup and Schedule
12:00pm – 1:00pm Joe Pug (Main Stage)
12:30pm – 1:30pm Remedy Tree (Acoustic Stage)
1:00pm – 2:00pm The Broomestix (Front Porch Stage)
1:30pm – 2:30pm Sierra Hull (Main Stage)
2:00pm – 3:00pm The Applebutter Express (Acoustic Stage)
2:30pm – 3:30pm Mandolin Orange (Front Porch Stage)
3:00pm – 4:00pm Jeff Austin (Main Stage)
3:30pm – 4:30pm Alastair-Byrd Review (Acoustic Stage)
4:00pm – 5:15pm Dustbowl Revival (Front Porch Stage)
4:30pm – 5:30pm Fruition (Main Stage)
5:15pm – 6:15pm West King Street Band (Acoustic Stage)
5:45pm – 7:00pm Jon Stickley Trio (Front Porch Stage)
6:00pm – 7:00pm Del McCoury Band (Main Stage)
6:45pm – 7:45pm Town Meeting (Acoustic Stage)
7:30pm – 8:45pm Sam Bush (Main Stage)
7:45pm – 9:00pm Cabinet (Front Porch Stage)
9:15pm – 10:30pm Grateful Ball w/ Travelin’ McCourys & Jeff Austin (Main Stage)
So let’s talk about the usual thing most of you are interested in the most…the lineup:
The Del McCoury Band
David Grisman’s Bluegrass Experience
Sam Bush
Elephant Revival
Fruition
Cabinet
Jeff Austin Band
The Travelin McCourys
Mandolin Orange
Sierra Hull
Joe Pug
Dustbowl Revival
The Broomstix
The Honeycutters
Taylor Martin
Jon Stickley Trio
Grits And Soul
Nikki Talley
The Applebutter Express
Paper Bird
Flagship Romance
Town Meeting
West King String Band
Remedy Tree
I Like Dandelions
The Alastair-Byrd Revue
Robbie Dammit And The Broken Strings
Steve Pruett
What to bring when you come to a concert at the St. Augustine Amphitheater:
- Tickets
- Seat Cushions
- Poncho or Jacket
- Blankets
- Palm-size Point & Shoot Camera (unless prohibited by show)
- Sunscreen
- Bug Spray
What NEVER to bring to a concert at the St. Augustine Amphitheater:
- Backpacks
- Outside Food or Drinks
- Umbrellas
- Large Cameras with Detachable Lenses
- Ipads or Tablets
- Strollers
- Weapons or items construed as weapons (e.g. guns, knives, sticks, fireworks)
- Video Cameras
- Audio Recorders
- Musical Instruments
- Gifts for the band
- Chairs
- Alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs
- Animals (except guide dogs)
- Skateboards or inline skates
- Personal property that is a potential hazard to others (e.g. chains, wallet chains or jewelry with spiked edges)
So under my usual guise of working these festival articles I shall include to the fullest of my knowledge the hotel in that area I have found. And to my knowledge there are a few campgrounds in the direct area to stay at.
ST AUGUSTINE ISLAND INN
(904) 471-1440 / 894 A1A Beach Blvd, St Augustine, FL 32080
AMERICAS BEST VALUE INN
(904) 471-8010 / 3955 A1A S, St Augustine, FL 32080
SCOTTISH INN
(904) 824-2831 / 420 Anastasia Blvd, St Augustine, FL 32080
BUDGET INN
(904) 824-1962 / 12 Anastasia Blvd, St Augustine, FL 32080
EDGEWATER INN
(904) 825-2697 / 2 N St Augustine Blvd, St Augustine, FL 32080
QUALITY INN
(904) 471-1474 / 901 A1A Beach Blvd, St Augustine, FL 32080
THE CONCH HOUSE MOTEL
(800) 940-6256 / Bldg 1, 57 Comares Ave, St Augustine, FL 32080
COURTYARD ST AUGUSTINE
(904) 940-3800 / 605 A1A Beach Blvd, St Augustine Beach, FL 32080
SLEEP INN
(904) 825-4535 / 601 Anastasia Blvd., St Augustine, FL 32080
SUPER 8 ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH
(904) 471-2330 / 311 A1A Beach Blvd, St Augustine, FL 32080
REGENCY INN & SUITES
(904) 471-7700 / 331 A1A Beach Blvd, St Augustine, FL 32080
HILTON GARDEN INN
(904) 471-5559 / 401 A1A Beach Blvd, St Augustine, FL 32080
HAMPTON INN BEACH
(904) 471-4000 / 430 A1A Beach Blvd, St Augustine, FL 32080
CASTILLO REAL
(904) 471-3505 / 530 A1A Beach Blvd, St Augustine, FL 32080
BEST WESTERN SEASIDE
(904) 461-9990 / 541 A1a Beach Blvd, St Augustine Beach, FL 32080
LA FIESTA INN & SUITES
(904) 471-2220 / 810 A1A Beach Blvd, St Augustine, FL 32080
HOLIDAY ISLE OCEANFRONT RESORT
(904) 471-2555 / 860 A1A Beach Blvd, St Augustine Beach, FL 32080
From their website, a brief history of the St Augustine Amphitheater:
History
The St. Augustine Amphitheater was built in 1965 to commemorate St. Augustine’s 400th Anniversary as our nation’s oldest permanent European settlement. The 16-acre section of Anastasia State Park that makes up the amphitheater grounds includes an old quarry where coquina rock was obtained to build early St. Augustine homes and commercial buildings, as well as the fort, Castillo de San Marcos.
Pulitzer-prize winner Dr. Paul Green wrote The Cross & Sword, a symphonic drama to re-enact the founding and early years of St. Augustine under Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles. Following the completion of the Amphitheatre in 1965, the play began its 32 year run on the stage. In 1973, Cross & Sword was designated “Florida’s Official State Play” by the State Legislature in recognition of the cultural and historic value of the production and the events portrayed on stage. In 1996, the Cross & Sword had its final performance.
In 2002, St. Johns County made the decision to invest in refurbishing the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. After 5 years of construction and a sizeable investment, the Amphitheatre is a state of the art performing arts venue with the capacity to hold up to 4100 concert goers. A brand new conference room, 4 concession stands, a merchandise area, a large plaza, and an elaborate arboretum of walking trails make up the new facility.