Big Guava Music Festival Preview

By Jean Marques

Contributing Writer

The Pixies will be one of many big name acts performing this weekend.

As spring semester comes to an end, the world of music braces itself for another summer of festivals. Every year, music festivals such as Coachella, Bonnaroo, and Shaky Knees bring millions of people together to celebrate music and art.

In Florida, there has always been a huge focus on Ultra Music festival in downtown Miami, and rightfully so – Ultra attracts hundreds of thousands of people from all across the globe, making it one of the biggest music festivals in the country.

However, Ultra usually takes place during late spring, which means that Florida concert-goers lacked a proper music festival to look forward to over the summer – a problem solved by the creation of the Big Guava Music Festival in 2014.

Located in Tampa, Big Guava Fest is a two day event spanning from May 8 through May 9. Its position in Central Florida makes it an easy trip from any part of Florida.

Big Guava’s first year, headlined by Outkast, Vampire Weekend, and Foster the People, was a success and this year it looks to be even more popular. Over 30 artists will be playing across 4 different stages. The event will also include and craft breweries, a wide variety of food trucks, and even free thrill rides. This year’s lineup also proves to be a step up from the last (see our favorite artists listed below.).

The only blemish on the event is the decision to change the festival from three to two days, due to the fact that many of the headlining artists will now have to try to squeeze into one day, meaning that attendees may not be able to see all the acts they’d hope to.

Despite this, Big Guava Fest has the potential to become one of the biggest festivals in the South-Eastern United States as it continues to grow and bring big name artists to a state that has lacked a summer festival of this caliber.

Artists to look out for:

Friday, May 8

Passion Pit: These Indietronica heavyweights, likely to play songs off their recent album Kindred, as well as past favorites, will be worth a listen for their feel-good vibe.

Ryan Adams: Best known for his emotional and honest folk-rock album Heartbreaker, Ryan Adams will prove to be an interesting change of pace from the heavily electronic Friday set-list.

Saturday, May 9

Run the Jewels: A rap duo consisting of Killer Mike and El-P, their music is punchy, loud, and aggressive and may end up the most intense and energetic performance of the night.

Banks: Her debut album Goddess was an impressive alternative R&B record from 2014. Her set should be memorable due to her distinct, deep sound in comparison with the rest of the lineup.

The Strokes: One of the driving forces of the garage rock revival of the early to mid-2000s, they are the very last band slated to play and are definitely going to be a crowd favorite.

Pixies: The most historically significant band playing the festival. Their sound has influenced countless bands including Nirvana, The Strokes, and many more. Don’t miss them.

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