Music, campers and artists will fill a pasture in rural Okeechobee County on Thursday for the second annual Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival.
Headliners include Usher and the Roots, Kings of Leon, The Lumineers, Mike Posner, Sturgill Simpson, Wiz Khalifa and Bassnectar.
The first performer in the four-day festival takes the stage at 4 p.m. Thursday. The last performance ends at 6:30 a.m. Monday.
Organizers said the event is sold out and they expect more than 30,000 people to attend.
The festival takes place at Sunshine Grove, a giant field about 15 miles north of downtown Okeechobee.
Attendees started to line up outside the entrance Wednesday night. Rambo Cunningham and his friends from Tampa said they were first in line last year and had to come back for the second annual event.
“I’m with some of my best friends in my entire life. They absolutely put on a great show last year, just excited for it again. We’re here for a certain spot. We want to be close to the concessions and the showers. We don’t want to walk a mile to that,” Cunningham explained.
The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office said officers from five different law enforcement agencies will be at the festival throughout the weekend.
As ticket holders approach the gate, they can drop off drugs or contraband in an amnesty box, no questions asked. But law enforcement leaders warned all of the laws that apply outside the festival fences, apply inside as well.
“The officers will have discretion on the site as they come across drugs. So if there is a felony amount, or a trafficking amount, or selling, absolutely there will be arrests for that,” said Asst. State Attorney Ashley Albright.
Area businesses hope to capitalize on the large number of visitors in the county. Sweet Peas Grocery Store has stocked up for the expected rush.
For a complete list of the lineup and schedule, click here.