Free Lovin’

Music Festival on the Water Draws Huge Boat Crowd

By Abby Baker

All photos by DUSTIN HOWARD

They came by sail, by kayak or by noodle to jam at a set of coordinates for BOATSTOCK 2, a floating music festival that attracted hundreds of boaters in a donation-based party on the sea.

Hundreds of weekend warriors hit the waters of Madeira Beach on Saturday, May 15 for BOATSTOCK 2, a day-long music festival entirely on the water.

In May of 2020, boaters Dustin Howard and Bob Burnett sat quarantined on a St. Petersburg patio; the world was shut down, but not the water.

“We were both fed up with not being able to see people, but the boater world hadn’t slowed down,” Howard said. “It took like six days to make sure it was legal.”

They had a week of word-of-mouth organizing and it was smooth sailing from there: BOATSTOCK was born.

“I’m just happy it all panned out,” Boatstock creator Dustin Howard said. “It’s such an experience out there.”

Now an annual event, the waters of Madeira Beach were swamped with more than a hundred boats on Saturday, May 15 from 12 to 5 p.m.

“It went absolutely amazing,” Howard said. “The first thing that popped in my head was that it’s a big ask for everyone to really be safe and not be stupid, but we pulled it off.”

According to Howard, the Madeira Beach festival will keep swimming next year.

With Californian band SWIMM headlining, the free event also featured local groups such as FayRoy, Johnny Mile and the Kilometers, Aubrey Wollet and others.

“Tyler” of Johnny Mile and the Kilometers.

“We ask that people donate, and that’s how we pay the bands,” Howard said. “We want to keep this going. We had such a good turnout that we can’t drop the ball now.”

Keep the fest going for next year at madbeachboatstock.com.

Bands and performers, many who are local artists, performed for free. Donations keep the event afloat.