Myakka River Blues Festival

About the Event

Don’t miss the final Myakka River Blues Festival at the original, iconic Snook Haven on Memorial Day - Monday, May 27th. Rain or shine, the festival will be rockin' along the River from 11am to 5pm.

Snook Haven, sitting smack dab on the Myakka River in a beautifully quaint Old Florida setting, is a perfect venue for this annual festival. This year’s festival will be the last event hosted by the original, iconic and historic Old Florida Snook Haven before next spring’s construction begins on the Sarasota County park it’s located in.

Tickets must be purchased online and in advance. Tickets are $35 or $50 for a ticket plus a commemorative event T-shirt. Ticket sales will be limited to 400 to keep audience size minimal and allow for all parking to take place at Snook Haven. Carpooling is highly recommended and suggested.

The lineup for this year’s festival will appeal to all audiences, with styles fromamerican electric and soul blues, international blues and swing to everything in between:

11am to 12pm - Acoustic Blues

12pm to 1pm - Delta Swamp Rats

1:30pm to 3pm - Backtrack Blues Band

3:30pm - 5pm - Bridget Kelly Band

The festival will start with some acoustic blues, guaranteed to get your toes tapping along the Myakka. Then at 12pm, the Delta Swamp Rats - Steve Arvey, Tony Smith and Aaron Fowler - will take the Snook stage. Providing a mixture low down dirty blues of the 20's and 30's mixed with modern Mississippi Delta Funk sounds, The Delta Swamp Rats are a favorite at Snook Haven. The band has a unique style playing on Cigar Boxes paired with Screaming Slide Guitar and big tone fat sounding harmonica mixed with a heavy drum sound produce a unique sound that entrances people.

Following at 1:30pm will be the Backtrack Blues Band. Performing original blues music since 1980, Backtrack Blues Band is one ofamerica’s longest running and most accomplished blues bands. The group is now booking world-wide festivals and concerts. A six-piece, authentic, energetic blues band with harp, guitar, B3 organ, vocals and a relentless rhythm section that will get your crowd on their feet! These guys have a Grammy Award, two Blues Music Awards, and a Keeping the Blues Alive Awardamong them.

Finishing out the day at 3:30pm is the Gainesville, FL based Bridget Kelly Band. Two-time International Blues Challenge Semifinalists, Bridget Kelly and husband Tim Fik formed the band in 2012 - a Blues-Rock quartet that continues to explore their musical roots and grow their international fan base. The band’s music has been heard n countless radio shows around the globe. The Bridget Kelly Band gained visibility after their song “Texas Toast” enjoyed regular rotation on the Tony Colter’s Sirius-XMM radio show with the release of their 2014 “Forever in Blues” CD. After a decade of musical expression and countless standing ovations, the Bridget Kelly Band continues to push the artistic envelope while honoring the musical traditions of the past.

“This is the twelfth year of the festival and we’re beyond excited to bring such a fantastic blues lineup to Venice," Justin Pachota, Co-Owner and President of Venice Pier Group, said. "Everyone, no matter your age or music preference, will enjoy the show."

Pachota, along with Co-Owner and Vice President of Venice Pier Group Mike Pachota, host the event each year in tribute to Snook Haven’s rich history of music and live entertainment.

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