The 2016 Virginia Key Grassroots Festival returns to South Florida for the fifth year in a row, and it once again promises a wide array of headlining artists, both local and national. Next year’s gathering will take place February 18 through the 21 in its familiar locale midway between Downtown Miami and Key Biscayne, with camping, workshops, booths, and associated attractions augmenting the music that will occur on each of its four stages.
Headliners announced so far include the ever popular Donna the Buffalo, a long time festival mainstay, along with the Family Stone (the same outfit that performed at Woodstock sans its eccentric leader Sly Stone), as well as The Wood Brothers, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, The Spam Allstars, Keith Frank, the Solieau Zydeco, Locos Por Juana, Driftwood, Holy Ghost Tent Revival and many more, some 50 bands in all, many yet to be announced.
In the five years since it came south, the Virginia Key Grassroots Festival has earned a reputation as one of the most diverse music festivals in the entire country, running the gamut from roots to world music, as well as Latin, R&B, reggae and zydeco. Considering the competition, most of which has been around far longer, that’s a cause for considerable pride. Originally founded in New York’s Finger Lakes region 25 years ago, it now includes an annual event in North Carolina as well as Key Biscayne. All of which testifies to the Grassroots unique branding. While other festivals generally spotlight only a single genre, the Virginia Key Grassroots Festival offers opportunity to explore a variety of musical styles that may be less familiar. So if you’re drawn to only a handful of the featured acts, chances are you’ll walk away admiring and appreciating other bands that you may not have encountered before.
Likewise, all the festivals that carry the Grassroots branding place an emphasis on philanthropy, a mission that includes music education, environmental issues, sustainability and other concerns vital to local communities. So you can party while knowing you’re also supporting a variety of good causes.
Tickets for the 2016 Virginia Key Grassroots Festival cost $90 for all four days up until December 31. From January 1 through February 16, the cost is $100. Tickets purchased at the gate are $120. Tickets for individual days run from $25 to $60. For more information, go to virginiakeygrassroots.com.
Check out the full lineup below:
- The Family Stone
- Donna The Buffalo
- The Wood Brothers
- Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires
- Keith Frank & The Solieau Zydeco Band
- Danay Suarez
- Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba
- Keith Secola & His Wild Band of Indians
- Driftwood
- Scythian
- Locos Por Juana
- Holy Ghost Tent Revival
- Big Mean Sound Machine
- Suénalo
- Spam Allstars
- Lanzallamas
- Preston Frank
- Richie Stearns & Rosie Newton
- Afrobeta
- Rockwood Ferry
- Elastic Bond
- The Blind Spots
- Telekinetic Walrus
- Locust Honey
- Tamboka
- Cortadito
- Uma Galera
- Nag Champayons
- JUke
- Blue Jay
- Laila Belle
- Brendan O'Hara
- Nativos Jammin Orquestra
- Paleface
- Astro Hawk
- Whistlin' Dyl
