By Madelene Skinner, Contributing Writer
Jacksonville’s most unique festival dedicated to local music, arts, culture and community returns for another exciting year. The 4th Annual Friday Night Live! Music Festival (FNL) will take place in Hemming Park every Friday in September from 7–10 p.m. FNL is a five‐night, family‐ friendly event uniting cultures through music, arts and community with a music competition, live art display, silent auction and more. Showcasing some of the best bands in Jacksonville and an energetic crowd of community support, the music competition creates a space for music lovers to engage with performers through crowd voting. From jazz to pop, rock to country, all genres are welcome to perform.
The 4th Annual Friday Night Live! Music Festival takes the attendees on an expedition to “experience, engage, and express” with the multifaceted elements of the event. Bands and musicians interested in performing in the music competition are encouraged to register online. A panel of community leaders serve as guest judges who evaluate the performances through an interactive voting component make the competition entertaining for both performers and attendees and past judges include Tony Allegretti of The Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, Mal Jones of The Lyricist Live, Erica Bennett of Action News Jax and Rob Campman, an international hip hop artist formerly known as Southstar. The diverse group of cool guest judges make the competition entertaining for both performers and attendees. Prizes include studio time with Bryce Professional Studio Engineer, a performance on River City Live and a chance to return on the grand finale night to win $1,000.
In addition to the bands, FNL continues its tradition of giving back to the community with the Friday Night Live Gives Back Silent Auction. Proceeds benefit Yoga 4 Change, a non‐ profit that uses teachings and practices of yoga to transform the lives of veterans, incarcerated individuals, youth and those who suffer from substance abuse. Donations are still being accepted. Any business interested in donating items for the silent auction may email here.
While bands perform, attendees are invited to the Urban Arts Live exhibit, a live art demonstration representing the cultural and artistic diversity of our local arts community, as well as various street acts as they provide entertainment throughout the evenings. Radio sponsors 93.3 The Beat and V101.5 will be onsite.
Being the creators, cofounders and coordinators for this event, Jasmine Rhey and I are passionate about the opportunity to exhibit Jacksonville’s many talents through music, arts, culture and community engagement. We are an ambitious duo pursuing our passion and contributing to community revitalization by organizing this event in partnership with Hemming Park.
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