Review: Okeechobee at Ten Defines Florida Festival Culture

A lot can happen in ten years. Back in 2016, Okeechobee County — a quiet, agricultural pocket of Florida — transformed into the unlikely home of a music and arts festival that would go on to define a generation of fans across genres.

I caught the “Okee” fever in 2017, at 17 years old — my first massive festival, my first time clutching a press pass, not entirely sure what that I was stepping into but nonetheless ecstatic to explore what the festival had to offer.

Although now, in a different stage in life, the memories of driving into campgrounds, cruising as a licenseless passenger down Martin Grade Scenic Highway, beneath a beautiful canopy of trees, are still fresh. This year, the drive was once again via that same path toward the Portal. Windows down, far from city life as it opened into a sprawling cove where, for a few days, music takes over, and a unique Floridian tradition comes to life. 

How Okeechobee Built a Festival From Scratch

The first order of business was meeting Julio Santo Domingo, owner of Soundslinger, the company that brought the festival to life in Sunshine Grove. As he talked, his daughter clung to his arm while he pulled back the curtain on what it truly takes to envision, create, and execute a festival.

“We have to essentially finance everything ourselves, and it’s very capital-intensive, you know?” Santo Domingo says. As an occasional festival-goer, I can only imagine. 

At its conception, Okeechobee was focused on survival, but going independent again has required building trust again and adapting to changes, he says. 

Planning the festival is a year-round endeavor, with many moving parts. Somehow, in all the coordinated chaos, Santo Domingo still manages to partake in the experience as his stage alias Rechulski, spinning techno, house, electro, and space disco at Jungle 51, from sundown to sunrise. 

That’s the New York way, he explains, nodding at his tenure with his collective Sheik N Beik, noting that Miami is just as notorious for its nightlife and music scene — a culture that informs his vision for Okeechobee, which is to foster a breeding ground for upcoming generations to discover new music, festivals, and nightlife for the first, or tenth time. . 

And that vision is reflected in the festival’s history. When Okeechobee first launched as an independent music festival in central Florida, Santo Domingo explains, the lineup was built on a simple idea: book any artist willing to take a chance on an obscure, fledgling festival. The result was a seemingly random mix of acts that, surprisingly, meshed together into something unforgettable. 

“We’ve always been ahead of the game by booking artists that were not famous at the time,” he says. “Now they’re huge superstars.” 

That includes Post Malone, Billie Eilish, and a pre-grammy Kendrick Lamar. They also broke Flipturn, an indie rock band from a coastal Florida town, through a battle-of-the-bands competition. 

Even with that early magic, no one could have predicted what the next ten years would bring —  breaks, a pandemic, changes in ownership, or how the festival would evolve while staying true to its original spirit.

A Lineup That Reflects Okeechobee’s Evolution

For 2026, there’s a sense of déjà vu, taking us back to its “OG” days, yet it still feels fresh. The lineup boasts eclectic headliners such as Cage the Elephant, Dirty Heads, Knock2, GRiZ, T-Pain, LCD Soundsystem, FISHER, and the Lumineers.  

Saturday night, alone, was a mix of music that was “just right” as the festival settled into its rhythm. BigXThaPlug’s baritone voice echoed across the campground in his raw cadence, shortly before switching to a country drawl and opening the evening up to LCD Soundsystem’s iconic sound.

LCD Soundsystem’s set was groovy and masterful. Their stage presence oozed confidence, really immersing experimental dance punk into an otherwise young and hip crowd, drawing longtime fans to the front. Each member of the band had a moment to shine, with drums especially taking the stage and our hearts with a trance-inducing tempo. And he did it with his eyes closed. 

The crowd jumped to his steady drumming as silhouettes of totem poles carved the night sky, which flashed like a fabulous light show, revealing a nearly sold-out festival. 

Inside the Okeechobee Experience, From Stages to Culture

The sound was immaculate, proof of what Santo Domingo had mentioned earlier in the day, when he identified the precise sound systems utilized to create a wonderful audio experience. Each stage, from Be, Here, Now to Incendia and Jungle 51, was thoughtfully curated with technical and creative precision. 

At Aquachobee, festival goers dipped their toes in the sand, swaying to reggae music as others played beach soccer, lounged in the sun, or participated in dance workshops rooted in Latin dance – from bachata to merengue to salsa.  

On the way to Jungle 51, surrounded by towering trees and a web of swinging hammocks, attendees pass through “Incendia,” which brings fire and warmth to an otherwise chilly night. Resonant Language is at the booth, echoing a unique downtempo genre of electronic music where, even to the trained ear, no beat sounds the same. 

For the chronic insomniacs and festival fiends, Jungle 51is at the far end of the festival grounds, pulsing with nonstop music throughout the night. At sundown, the stage belongs to the restless, with genre-blending artists like Black Rave Culture manning the spaceship until sunrise, fueled by house, techno, footwork, two-step dub, and baile funk. During the day, this forest oasis serves as a space for relaxation where goat yoga meets sound baths, and other flavors of meditation.

Miami’s Music Scene Takes Over at Okeechobee Fest

Amid all the huge stages, T Lounge, is a hidden, shaded enclave in the midst of the festival madness. 

Santo Domingo is particularly proud of this pocket of the festival curation, mentioning that every night at T Lounge, he’s personally booked a different promoter to lead the sonic curation of the night, with Mad Radio Miami taking over Thursday night, and ZeyZey Miami bringing a taste of South Florida into the woods. 

ZeyZey’s takeover kicks off with the genre-blurring quartet Electric Kif, followed by ZeyZey resident DJ Maure, whose sets are shaped by his roots in Barranquilla, Colombia, yet still defies all genres. Chicago house pioneer Roy Davis Jr. brings a touch of legacy, while Gitkin rounds things out with psychedelic cumbia — a sound that’s been steadily gaining traction in Miami’s alternative Latin scene.

This is where Jayden Vyne, from Clearwater, lounges on Persian-style carpets, surrounded by tables scattered with teapots and other knick-knacks that glisten in the evening’s golden hour. She’s clad in festival clothing, hair pulled back, lashes done, sipping on Kanna Tea. 

At 22, this is her second time in Sunshine Grove. The first, she says, was her introduction to festival culture — and she got hooked. This time, she explains she’s determined to find herself, diving deeper into her passions as she looks toward the future.

“People come here with a purpose,” she says. “They’re here for the music, to party, to connect, and to have a good time. Dress however they want, dance however they want.”