Florida Groves 2024: Day Two

As fans ascended on the Central Florida Fairgrounds, people quickly scattered, exploring the numerous vendors, testing their skating skills on the half pipe, perusing the cannabis convention, and posing for selfies with one of the many murals.

Many even inked the memories of Florida Groves forever at the tattoo convention.

The makeup of the Florida Groves Festival crowds paralleled the diversity of the performance; it is quite evident that the various artists drew different people to this event, many expanding their musical horizons over these two short days. A tip of the hat is owed to organizations like Florida Groves that provide a platform for local talent with the potential to elevate within — and beyond — the Florida music scene. Two such acts to be featured on Sunday included Cloud9 Vibes and The Sub Herbs, providing a fun early start to the day. St. Peterburg locals Seranation also hit the Main Stage midday, delivering upbeat beach vibes to Central Florida.

The festival continued into Day Two with many great reggae rock-adjacent acts. While music listeners have a propensity to categorize artists in very broad definitions of genre, the artists of the day had styles spanning a broad range of influences. Of Good Nature filled the Pavilion with their brassy, soulful, reggae-infused alt rock early in the day. They were later followed by Shwayze, with his feel-good party tunes. Melodic rhythms and laidback vibes have made iconic songs like “Corona with Lime” summertime staples.

Adding a southern twist to a familiar style, a band to watch within the reggae rock scene is Louisiana-based Boogie T.Rio.

Rounding out the reggae rock acts for the day, The Elovaters’ smooth vibe was the perfect complement to a beautiful sunset falling behind the Pavilion Stage. Providing refuge from the sun for many during the day, the pavilion was packed to its edges for the performance. With calls for an encore and an unwillingness to admit their set was over, The Elovaters’ much deserved rise in popularity was accentuated by the Florida Groves crowd.

The latter part of the day included the iconic Rhymesayers artist Atmosphere. With their expansive discography that spans around 30 years, Atmosphere infused the day with some classic styles of hip hop. With two deejays showcasing the art of scratching and mixing beats, frontman Slug brought a depth of lyricism and commentary to the stage. In recognition for the diverse nature of the festival attendees, he noted “I see a lot of old people. Thank you, because I’m old people. I know what it takes to get you out of the house.”

A crowd-pleaser, even among more mainstream music circles, Milky Chance was the band to close out Florida Groves Festival 2024. Hailing all the way from Germany, Milky Chance blends elements of electronic and folk among other styles to contribute their unique and distinguishable sounds. Their musical themes of self-expression and escapism perfectly encapsulate the full festival experience, music and beyond.

Photography by Dale Gebelein; recap by Jessica Shvarts

Share this article

or