Winter Garden hosting 11-hour music festival

This weekend will be a music lover’s delight as more than 30 acts will hit six stages throughout the downtown area during the Winter Garden Music Festival.

The free, 11-hour outdoor concert will be hosted by the city of Winter Garden from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, with headliners such as Foreigners Journey, Spazmatics, Big Ron Betts Trio, Violetric and O-Town Motown.

This is a great time to capture the sounds of an eclectic mix of music genres, including contemporary, rock, pop, country, Latin, jazz, blues and reggae. Attendees are being encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets to listen in comfort. Personal coolers and outside alcoholic beverages are not permitted; onsite beer and alcohol vendors will be set up. The downtown restaurants will be offering outdoor seating.

A kids zone will be set up at First Baptist Church of Winter Garden, 125 E. Plant St., from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will provide multiple family activities and entertainment.

Free shuttle service will be available starting at 11 a.m. from Dillard Street Elementary School, 311 N. Dillard St., and the parking lot at 848 E. Plant St., across from the Winter Garden Library. The shuttle drop-off and pick-up is at the corner of Dillard and Plant streets.

THE WINTER GARDEN CONNECTION

Three of the acts are based in Winter Garden: About Tuesday, Amanda and Steve, and The Porchdogs.

About Tuesday is a pop punk and rock band whose mission is “to have an absolute blast” with high-energy music. The group brings a mix of nostalgic covers and original tunes.

Amanda & Steve are Winter Garden locals who love playing music around town and at weddings and events. You can find her performing at Walt Disney World, as an anthem singer for the Tampa Bay Lightning and in theater productions throughout Orlando. He is an instrumentalist with a degree in music education and more than 15 years of experience as a professional musician.

The Porchdogs have been playing spicy Louisiana Cajun and zydeco style music as well as New Orleans R&B classics since 1992. They are frequent performers at the Flagler, South Florida and Florida State fairs and have played during Bike Week and Biketoberfest in Daytona Beach for 15 years. The Porchdogs have performed at various venues within Walt Disney World and Universal Studios theme parks, as well as smaller community events, fairs and festivals around the state.

STRAIGHT OUT OF ORLANDO

A number of other acts call Central Florida home.

Big Ron Betts, a performer for more than 30 years, was the winner of the 2021 OCCS Central Florida Blues Challenge. He plays blues, rock, classic rock, rhythm and blues, funk, soul, pop and reggae.

Brian + Hannah is a vocal and guitar cover duo that was named Best Local Band of 2024 in a recent poll. With experience in pop, soul, Motown, jazz and R&B, Brian + Hannah engages the audience with their musicality and electric chemistry. This two-piece packs a surprising punch despite their compact instrumentation.

Felix & Fingers is a dueling-pianos act featuring Jaclyn Arnold, a singer, songwriter and piano player with a classically trained background turned pop.

The Hooligans Orlando, a British rock band that started in Las Vegas in 2007, has played to packed houses at House of Blues Orlando and Las Vegas, Harrahs Entertainment, and NY NY Resort and Casino. They also appear at Disney World in Epcot under the name Command Performance.

O-Town Motown brings a mix of soul and Southern roots from Michael Jackson to Marvin Gaye and plays unforgettable songs of the golden era of Motown music. To top it all off, their stylish matching outfits rival those of the acts from the ’60s.

Stella Beat, another Orlando band, plays energetic Latin and top 40 party music.

Violectric is an acoustic and electric string ensemble led by bandleader, producer and recording artist Michelle Jones. Formed in 2008, the group customizes arrangements of classic and modern rock tunes ranging from Led Zeppelin to Metallica to The Weeknd and other modern artists.

The Vocalitas

The bilingual female vocal trio The Vocalitas brings the Roaring ’20s back to life, fusing modern hits with the classic swing era sound (a la Postmodern Jukebox). Their close-harmony style is influenced by some of the most famous girl trios, such as The Andrews Sisters and The Puppini Sisters.

Walker Mathison & The Ranahan Trio perform current and classic country hits. Front man Walker Mathison is an American country singer and songwriter who has been using his unique vocals and guitar skills to captivate audiences for more than a decade. The frequent cruise ship performer was on the original Netflix singing competition “Sing On.”

Pacific Rush has performed on some of the largest stages across Central Florida. Front man Ben Neil has been featured on Studio Road TV with a unique blend of Indie, rock and New Wave pop.

Red Mint is a modern, diverse and unique band with a creative setup that includes experienced performers Matt Duarte on the acoustic guitar, harmonica and vocal, Sami Sorce on vocal and cajon, and Tonz on percussion.

Vocal Flash is a singing flash mob with ive to 15 singers and dancing performing high-energy vocals and dance moves

Southbound is a top shelf country/party band from Orlando Florida, featuring an amazing line up of some of the area’s best, world-class singers and musicians. Southbound is one of Central Florida’s premier bands, playing at some of the area’s top venues like Disney Springs, EPCOT and The Villages.

Take a trip back in time with The Jukebox Joes. This quartet puts a modern twist on hits from the ’50s through the ’80s — think Billy Joel, Bobby Darin, The Four Seasons and Alabama. The quartet uses doo-wop to inspire pop shows that pay tribute to vocal harmony and has performed at SeaWorld, Knotts Berry Farm, Downtown Disney, classis car shows and music festivals nationwide.

The Rumba Brothers have been performing together for more than 30 years throughout Central Florida. Their long musical friendship started as students at the University of Central Florida, and they have flourished with their Latin-jazz and Flamenco fusion music.

The Boots are a highly acclaimed cover band. With a soulful, electric and unique sound, the band is made up of four powerful musicians.

Operazzi is made up of vocalists who sing favorite opera hits in several different languages. They also bring their unique twist to pop song mashups.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

Petty USA, where musical excellence meets the iconic sound of the Florida native band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. With more than 50 years of great musical performances and touring alongside artists such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, .38 Special, The Allman Brothers, Troy Gentry and Joe Diffy, Petty’s music has stood the test of time.

Petty USA is not just a tribute band; Joey Grillo, performing as Tom Petty, and his band, comprising of world-class, pro musicians that have years of touring experience. The band places a strong emphasis on authenticity, meticulously recreating the sound, look and energy of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Petty USA is a celebration of Tom Petty’s enduring legacy.

The Spazmatics capture the pop and fun of the ’80s — and pay homage to the film “Revenge of the Nerds” — by dressing up in costumes that include bowties, plaid pants, taped glasses and pocket protectors to sing a repertoire of pop-rock cover songs.

It is considered a chain band because there are versions in cities all around the country. The local Spazmatics has been playing together for eight years.

Put the sounds of two iconic rock bands from the 1980s together, and what do you have? Foreigners Journey, a group that pays tribute to Foreigner and Journey with its take on classic power ballads such as “Feels Like the First Time,” “Hot Blooded,” “I Want to Know What Love Is,” “Separate Ways,” “Anyway You Want It” and “Don’t Stop Believing.”