Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival Review 2017: Starting Festy Season In A Tropical Paradise

I can't think of a better way to start this festival season. Okeechobee set the bar high for all upcoming festivals this year. It'll be impressive to see any of them beat the tropical vibes and out-of-this-world experience.

Festival Vibes Were A Tropical Paradise

Everyone was excited to be reunited with far away festival friends they haven't seen since last festival season.

Okeechobee’s diverse line up gave us everything from Solange’s beautiful voice, to Bassnectar’s heavenly bass.

My personal favorite was Flume. He’s come so far since the first time I saw him at Bonnaroo 2015. The flowing energy of the crowd and the enchanting visuals were so beautiful that I cried happy tears.

Photo by Collin Taylor

The morning was full of classes, yoga to stretch those sore muscles, art from all over the world to get lost in, and Aquachobee to catch those tropical island vibes.

Sometimes the security at festivals make me feel as if I’m being targeted or harassed, but not here. They were friendly, kept it brief, and gave nothing but good vibes! All of the staff and vendors were great.

The Venue Was Set Up For An Ultimate Experience

Inside the main venue, there were three stages – Be, Here, and Now. It seemed that they were within just the right distance of each other so that the sound didn’t bleed too much and the distance to walk from stage to stage wasn’t too much. There were also plenty of trees for your hammocks, and even picnic tables at every stage.

Production was fascinating. Just when I think a light show can’t get any better, OMF proves me wrong.

My favorite art installations were recycled projects utilizing things like old cans and left over vinyl flooring. Some of the larger installations stay in the park after the festival, and will be there for the following year.

Photo By Brian Hensley

We never ran out of stuff to do to in Chobeewobee Village. There were  shows at the Pavillion Palace, Tea Lounge, Jive Joint and the firey Incendia stage throughout the entire night. If you stayed around long enough, you’d even catch the late night parade with amazing performers, beautiful light goddesses, and mad hatters riding around in bugs. 

Photo By Andrew Jorgensen 

A popular late night haven was the Jungle 51 stage. It's all in the name. Imagine bringing extraterrestrial Area 51 to the jungle. Futuristic techno beats, out-of-this-world alien crash site light shows, and people getting down to funky beats deep in the jungle.

Photo By Andrew Jorgensen
 

Okeechobee Organizers Went Above & Beyond 

The food was amazing. I couldn’t get enough of the tacos. The potties were cleaned daily, so it wasn’t a constant struggle to find something bearable. Showering only cost $5-7 and were more than worth that.

Normally festival apps for your phone are spotty, IF they even work. This time the app had my back, and all I had to do was make a few swipes to find my way around.

Sunny skies, the Florida breeze kept, and all of the palm trees kept Okee feeling like paradise. I would recommend this event to anyone. 

Photo By Andrew Jorgensen