The Sing Out Loud Music Festival, the largest free music festival ever held in St. Johns County, returns for three weekends this September. Hundreds of performances will take place at multiple music venues around St. Augustine, Florida in an epic celebration of local, regional and national singers, songwriters and musicians. The Sing Out Loud Festival is presented by Community First Credit Union and produced by the St. Johns County Cultural Events Division (which owns and operates the St. Augustine Amphitheatre and Ponte Vedra Concert Hall), the St. Johns Tourist Development Council and the St. Johns Cultural Council.

In a convergence of musical genres as wide ranging as Texas Outlaw Country, New Orleans Brass and Funk, Alternative Indie Rock, Americana, Bluegrass, Neo-Soul, Folk, Punk and more, this year’s Sing Out Loud Music Festival features an eclectic mix of local, national and regional singers, songwriters and musicians. The initial artist lineup includes performances by Steve Earle, Lake Street Dive, Wolf Parade, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Los Lobos, Lucero, Deer Tick, The Infamous Stringdusters, Justin Townes Earle, Langhorne Slim, John Moreland, Amanda Shires, Lydia Loveless, Matthew Logan Vasquez, Dave Simonett, Joe Pug, Blackfoot Gypsies, Mariee Sioux, Wax Wings, Shelley Short, This Frontier Needs Heroes, Darren Hanlon and more to be announced. The festival will be held September 8, 9 and 10, September 15, 16 and 17 and September 22, 23 and 24 and performances will be at various locations around St. Augustine including the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, the Colonial Oak Music Park, Lincolnville, Planet Sarbez, Nobby’s, Tempo Bistro, Mardi Gras, Hoptinger, Prohibition Kitchen, Limelight Theatre, Bokeh Studio and more. Again this year, Narrow Magazine will host specially-curated artist showcases throughout the festival as well. A new addition to this year’s festival will be artist-focused educational workshops. The workshops are aimed are sharing industry knowledge regarding booking, promoting, touring and more. The full schedule of performances, artist workshops and more will be unveiled within the next several weeks. All performances and workshops are free and open to the public.

“It is very exciting to have assembled a high profile and eclectic lineup this year that will really speak to each and every music fan we hope to bring out during the festival,” said Ryan Murphy, director of the St. Johns County Cultural Events Division and coordinator of the Sing Out Loud Festival. “Interweaving these fantastic headliners among the fabric of our local performers creates a truly diverse and exciting festival. We have been lucky to have such well respected national touring artists as well as fantastic local musicians be so enthusiastic about taking part in the Sing Out Loud Festival. This year, we also really look forward to incorporating some panel discussions that will focus on several topics such as the state of the music industry, professional development, management and touring.”

The Sing Out Loud Festival is a multi-year festival proudly presented by Community First Credit Union. Last year’s inaugural festival welcomed an estimated 15,000 music fans, featured 315 performing artists at 10 venues around St. Augustine. The multi-year commitment made by Community First Credit Union to the St. Johns County Cultural Events Division helps support events that would not be as large without private support. Community First Credit Union has been a longtime sponsor and partner with the St. Augustine Amphitheatre supporting the annual Night Owl Cinema events as well as many years of December to Remember festivals and concerts.