The Americana Dream THE 30A SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL RETURNS

The Americana Dream:

THE 30A SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL RETURNS

By Fiama Mastrangelo

THIS JANUARY, THE 30A SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL WILL BE CELEBRATING ITS 14TH ANNIVERSARY of bringing together the South Walton community to experience the musical brilliance of internationally recognized musicians and local talents alike. From January 13 through 16, more than 200 songwriters will come together to share their music with the 30A community. Throughout South Walton County, 30 local venues will lend their spaces to help transform the coast into a hub of songwriting excellence. Each year, the festival plays host to a variety of world-class performers and headliners. This year’s festival will feature a variety of popular headliners including Lyle Lovett, Gin Blossoms, Rickie Lee Jones, Steve Earle, Yola and Morgan Wade. With Pioneers of Americana, country, folk, jazz, blues and more, this year’s lineup of performers are sure to impress every type of guest. Co-founder of the 30A Songwriters Festival Russel Carter, shared that one of the artists he is most excited to see on this year’s main stage is Morgan Wade. “Morgan Wade just was nominated for an emerging artist award in Americana, but I mean she’s emerging so fast I think she’s gonna be a pretty big star by January,” Carter said. “I mean she already is a star.” The Nashville artist has been adding second nights and bigger venues to her U.S. tour as her fandom booms. “It’s just, people are so excited about her,” he added.

Carter is also enthusiastic to bring Yola to this year’s festival, another Nashville-based musician that has seen a massive uptick in her following within the past year or so. Elvis fans may have spotted her in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic where she portrayed the rock’n’roll legend, Sister Rosetta Tharpe. “At this point, I mean every review you read of Yola, they say she’s arguably the best voice in Americana music these days,” Carter said. “I mean she’ll just blow people away when she comes out on stage,” he added.

Carter has been with the 30A Songwriters Festival since its inception nearly 14 years ago. “In 2010 we started out with probably a few hundred people. You know, fast forward to 2023, and it’s 6,000 people,” Carter said of the festival’s growth. “We’ve been at that level for several years now because that’s the size of the outdoor venue at Grand Boulevard, where we have the headliners on Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon,” he added. Beyond the cultural value of hosting over 300 performances throughout the weekend, the 30A Festival revitalizes the area during the slow season for tourism. “It’s important to this community. January used to be a very dead month, in South Walton in general. I mean, quite literally, when we started the festival, we had to talk some of the resorts into opening the restaurants for us to stage music,” Carter said. “It was really very, very sleepy. Now the songwriter’s festival is kind of like the Fourth of July,” he added. Throughout the weekend, it is estimated that the 30A Songwriters Festival brings in about 7 to 8 million dollars to the area. Through ticket sales, housing rentals, dining, and retail, the influx of tourists for the songwriter’s festival completely invigorates the economy of the Emerald Coast during an otherwise slow period of business.

Not only does the 30A community receive a massive boost in sales during the weekend of the festival, but it also undergoes a cultural transformation as creatives gather en masse to celebrate the art of songwriting. “The difference between the Fourth of July and Songwriters,” began Carter, “is everyone in town is either a musician or a music fan. So, there’s a tremendous community of like-minded people hanging out and having fun and trading their experience.” He added, “it’s all about music for four days.” The spirit of the festival continues all year, as all the profits go towards funding the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County. The Cultural Arts Alliance used the proceeds to support accessible art in the 30A community, such as free arts festivals, underwater statue exhibits, and art class funding for example. To contribute to the Cultural Arts Alliance’s mission of fostering creativity in Walton County, tickets for the 30A Songwriters Festival can be purchased on the website, 30asongwritersfestival.com. Tickets sell out every year, so purchasing early is the best way to save your spot for an unforgettable weekend of music and community.

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