Greater Gulf Coast Music Festival bringing artists from 'The Voice,' Nashville and more

A new music festival celebrating the diverse cultures and genres of Escambia County is happening this weekend.

The inaugural Greater Gulf Coast Music Festival features a diverse lineup of performances including a Bollywood dance, dragon dance, R&B, Country and Latin music. "The Voice" Season 15 finalist Kirk Jay, Nashville recording artist Brett Stafford Smith, Chilean band Golpe Latino, Pensacola favorite Mass Konfuzion and numerous other notable and award-winning artists will perform.

“We (went) out and tried to get a big variety (of performances) and bring people in from outside as well as locals to make it a fun day for everybody,” said the festival’s volunteer Event Coordinator Joan Wallace.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Escambia County Equestrian Center on 7750 Mobile Highway in Pensacola. General admission is $25 with VIP, group and children rates available. Information on the performers and tickets is available at ggcmusicfest.eventbrite.com.

“There’s entertainment for both children and adults,” Wallace said.

The brand-new event will have food vendors, a dunking booth, corn hole games, a raffle and more activities available alongside the music. There will also be a children’s play area available with games and prizes.

All proceeds from the event will go to the construction of the St. Jude Family Life Center.

“Looks like a great day of music, looking forward to coming to play in Pensacola and be a part of (the festival),” said Brett Stafford Smith, a country artist from Nashville who’s performed at the Country Music Hall of Fame and The Grand Ole Opry.

“I hope (local fans) show up and are ready for a lot of original songs I’ve written,” he continued.

Here’s what you can expect to see and hear at the Greater Gulf Coast Music Festival:

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How much are tickets?

General admission tickets for the Greater Gulf Coast Music Festival will cost $25. Children’s tickets will cost $20 and a VIP ticket will run you $40.

VIP tickets get you seats in the festival’s VIP area and includes two coffees, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, as well as four bottles of water for free.

Tickets can also be purchased in packages of four or eight tickets. The four-ticket package will cost $80 while the eight-ticket package will cost $144.

Tickets for the event can be purchased online on Eventbrite or at the door of the festival.

Children 5-years old and under can get into the event for free. All children 17-years old and under must be at the event with an adult who is at least 21 years-old.

Who’s performing?

There will be a number of performances, ranging from solo music acts to dances, at the Greater Gulf Coast Music Festival.

Many on this list have performed in, visited or enjoyed Pensacola in some capacity, adding a layer of sentimentality to the upcoming event and an opportunity to give back to the community in their own way.

One of the performing groups, Golpe Latino, says that Pensacola was the first city to welcome them into the United States.

“We love the idea of the festival and being able to mix and learn about other cultures while showing our own. We also want to thank Pensacola with our music for the welcome we feel every place we go,” said Marco Sepulveda, one of Golpe Latino’s members. “We feel welcome here and we want to give our music with love to Pensacola.”

The Greater Gulf Coast Music Festival has created a platform for artists to introduce themselves to the community.

“(The festival) gives us the opportunity to put on a performance that we wouldn’t have been able to otherwise, this year,” said Michael Wardlaw, owner and artistic director of the Pensacola Youth Ballet. “We’re excited because we have eight dancers coming with a variety of styles, from classical to a western piece that I choreographed just for this event.”

Here’s a list of who’s performing the inaugural Greater Gulf Coast Music Festival.

Solo artists

• Kirk Jay is a country and soul singer who was a finalist on the 15th season of "The Voice."

• Brett Stafford Smith is a country singer from Nashville, Tennessee who has previously performed at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

• Debra Martin is a singer and songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and her hometown is Pensacola. She released her first album titled “What Could Have Been” last year.

• Jamell Richardson is guitarist, singer and songwriter based in Mobile, Alabama, as well as the 2021 recipient of the Jus Blue Music Foundation’s “King of the Blues” Award.

Music Groups

• Golpe Latino is a Latin band that will be performing cumbia, an upbeat genre of music that is commonly heard and felt throughout Spanish-speaking nations, and bring a modern and eclectic repertoire of Latin music with their performance.

• Mass Kunfuzion is a local band with music for all age groups. They’ve been performing in the Pensacola area since 2005 and have eight current members.

• Grupo Folklorico Mitotiani performs traditional Mexican Folkloric dances which originate from different regions across Mexico, primarily Jalisco and Sinoloa.

There will be more dance performances during the event by groups like the Pensacola Youth Ballet and the Dragon Dance Troupe, and a Bollywood dance showcase will also be performed Nathya Joseph.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Inaugural Greater Gulf Coast Music Festival in Pensacola, Escambia