Killer Fall Festivals Bring Musicians From All Over the World

School's back in session, summer's almost ending, time to think about FESTING. Three killer fall festivals will bring talent from all over the world to our corner of the North Florida woods, specifically, to The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, where you can camp under the trees with your friends, and pick around the campfire under the stars. Aren't we lucky?

Ampitheater Stage

If you do 'em all, it's works out like this: A weekend festing, a weekend off, a weekend festing, a weekend off, and a weekend festing. You just keep all your camping stuff in a pile and do a load of laundry every other weekend.  Ride this lucky live music train while it lasts people, ride it while it lasts.

Magnolia Fest happens Oct. 17-20 with Willie Nelson, John Prine, Mavis Staples, Kris Kristopherson, Stephen Marley, Railroad Earth, Drive By Truckers, The Travelin' McCoury's, Keller Williams, The Duhks, Donna The Buffalo, Tornado Rider, Col. Bruce Hampton, Honey Island Swamp Band, and more. This Americana festival could not be more sweet. It's family friendly, lovely in the fall, and, as you can see,  has some real towering musical giants playing this year.

A 4-day weekend ticket , which includes primitive camping, is $155 and the price goes up September 1.

Suwaneee Hulaween happens Oct. 31-Nov. 2. This fest  is hosted by the incomparable  improvisational band, The String Cheese Incident. These cats can PLAY, and they will -- all three nights. Also playing: Emancipator, Conspirator,Steve Kimock & Friends, Suwannee Bluegrass Surprise, Future Rock,Brock Butler, Jennifer Hartswick, Van Ghost, Moon Taxi and Applebutter Express, One of the coolest things about this festival will be the special electric forest light and art installation along the park's already beautiful cypress lake in the campground. The promoters say: "Fans can expect an epic fusion of dazzling lights, art installations and performance art that morphs the Spirit Lake waterfront and adjacent forest into a vivid dream-like space that fully engages the senses. Working with some of the Southeast’s most talented sculptors, fire/metal workers, painters, performance artists and lighting designers, the Spirit Lake Promenade will also host a Silent Disco and other astonishing Hulaween creations." So you're going, right? Right?

Weekend ticket is $159, and that includes primitive camping.

The cypress lake

Da Bears

Bear Creek Music and Arts Festival, Nov. 14-17 (It actually starts on Nov.13 with a special musical benefit for $25 that includes camping with The New Mastersounds, The Revivalists, Toubab Krewe and more.) Bear Creek is the creme de la creme of Southeast festivals if you like to dance. It's a funky throwdown of epic proportions. Lineup is: The Roots, Bootsy Collins and the Funk Unity Band, Galactic x2, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe x2, Lettuce x2, Bonobo Live Band , Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk x2, The New Mastersounds x2, Antibalas, Lee Fields & The Expressions, Zach Deputy x2, Toubab Krewe x2, George Porter Jr's Runnin Pardners, The Motet x 2 , Jennifer Hartswick Band x2 , Break Science , Mike Dillon Band, Pimps of Joytime x2, Robert Walter's 20th Congress x2, Bernie Worrell Orchestra, Roosevelt Collier Band, Dr. Klaw, The Revivalists, Kung Fu x2 , The Werks , The Malah x2 , Space Capone x2 , Nth Power , Flow Tribe , Dopapod , The Legendary JC's , Ron Haynes Game Changers x2 , Brownout x2 , Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes x2 , Jaime McLean Band , The Monophonics , Ghost Owl , Greenhouse Lounge, Cope , Chris McCarty and the Underground Movement , The Resolvers , Profit , Suenalo , Lucky Costello, SOUNDUO Artists at Large:, Oteil Burbridge , Karl Denson , George Porter Jr. , Skerik , Mike Dillon , Roosevelt Collier , Jennifer Hartswick , Natalie Cressman , Dave Watts , Joey Porter , Jans Ingber , Clay Watson, Pee Wee Ellis , Ron Haynes.

Four-day weekend pass is $155, that includes camping, and the price starts going up Sept. 15.

So excited to get to Suwannee for the fall!!

Camping on the cypress lake