The soft October breezes will soon pass through the Spanish moss, creating a healing energy as the Spirit of The Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida, prepares for its 8th annual Suwannee Roots Revival from Thursday, October 10th to Sunday, October 13th, 2024. This event is known as one of Florida’s most culturally enriching festivals in one of the state’s most beautiful live music venues. The lineup includes Grammy Award Winners like Old Crow Medicine Show, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Yonder Mountain Stringband, Peter Rowan, Donna The Buffalo, and more! One of the greatest highlights of the Roots Revival experience is the spontaneous collaborations and super jams that create unforgettable musical moments. Combine this with camping with your friends and family in nature, and you are in for one long, life-altering weekend.
Suwannee Roots Revival is known for its camping options, ranging from primitive tent camping to upgraded sites for tent and RV reservations. The festival also offers various amenities within the park, including a country store, disc golf course, canoe rental, and horse camping. You can wake up to the sounds of mandolins and banjos floating across Spirit Lake or enjoy quiet camping closer to the Suwannee River. Primitive camping is available for all barebones campers, but hundreds of upgraded campsites are available for tent and RV reservations by calling the park office. Every year, I arrive early and watch with anticipation as creative camp hosts build campsites that resemble works of art more than a place to crash for the weekend. Expect to be dazzled by whimsical camps throughout the park, each with its flair and style.
Roots Revival is home to a community of music lovers and musicians of all levels. Since the festival began, there has been a long tradition of late-night jam sessions in the campground after the stage music ends. So, if you love to play your acoustic instrument with others, bring it and visit Slopryland and The Bill Monroe Tent. You’ll be welcomed by a cast of characters who love to play music until the morning light creeps through the live oaks. Many longtime festival goers enthusiastically share that the impromptu jam sessions in the campground are just as magnetizing as those on the stages.
Suwannee Roots Revival holds a warm place in many music lovers’ hearts because it is crafted by a team who embody community and love. Festival Director Beth Judy shares, “Randy and I founded Magnolia Music & Events, Inc. in 1997 with our first festival at SOSMP. The Suwannee Roots Revival is a current version of the events that Randy and I began so long ago when music festivals started to pop up again after Jerry’s passing. We went to lots of Grateful Dead shows. LOTS of shows! A dream was born during those Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter Grateful Dead tours. A dream of a community of music in Florida, our home. From the beginning, we set an intention of a community of love, healing, and music that would positively impact the lives of the people there. And we attracted those people who needed that in their lives, many of which are still coming. SpringFest and MagFest changed and evolved over the years, and now we gather everyone together for the big reunion and revival of what commenced during those early years. It is with a heavy heart that we share with you that Randy Judy passed away from multiple health complications on Tuesday, April 2nd, 2024. He was a passionate, talented, and kind man, lovingly known to many as Big Cosmo, to some as The Wizard from his early Jaguar days, and as Hoodie to his friends from his teenage years. He was my adventure partner, my husband (then ex-husband but still family), my life partner, my business partner, my friend. We had a connection unlike any other I have ever known. Randy was a visionary and a talented actor who loved theater and music. His musical interests were vast and varied, and he expanded my knowledge and ignited my passion so that music became the mission of our lives. The man who would become Big Cosmo was very open to the creative forces! He could visualize what was only a pipe dream. And once I visualized it, he could help me see it, and together, we became Music Farmers. We planted our seeds here at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park. The festivals that we created together, along with our friends, were like our children. They were our family, community, and reason for being to a large extent. His vision brought us together and created a setting where strangers became friends, and friends turned into family.“
The Festival Community will honor Randy Judy and host Big Cosmo’s Sunshine Daydream Celebration of Life for family, friends, and festival-goers on Thursday, October 10th at 3 pm at The Amphitheater Stage. Big Cosmo’s bands, including Tom Nelly, Charlie Bell, Ed Richardson, Brian Drysdale, Jared Bell, and Paul Wells, will perform. We will celebrate Randy with stories, songs, jams, memories, and laughter throughout the festival! Big Cosmo’s Band will play other sets, including the festival kickoff set at 4 pm, and many others might join them!
We hope to see you on the Suwannee for the 8th Annual Suwannee Roots Revival! Tickets for the four days of music include primitive camping on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. Kids 12 and under can enter for free if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Join us for an unforgettable weekend filled with music, fun, and friends. Get your Weekend Tickets now at www.SuwanneeRootsRevival.com and create memories that will last a lifetime!
