Category Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival 2017

“It’s about bringing people together—having a common ground, feeling comfortable and having the ability to express yourself however you want to. When you can do that, you attract the right kind of people. Every time I come to a music festival, it feels like the first time.”

“I came to spend time with friends, get down to some good music and watch Usher take his shirt off. But I left with so much more.”

“I’m studying health science at USF, but I want to be a PA. I’m going into fire rescue as a paramedic first. I’m already an EMT, and I really love my job. I have a mini-trauma kit on me, so if anyone goes down, I got them. People need you, so why wouldn’t you want to help them? All I want to do is help people. Being a doctor is not me, but being out in the field—the moment you need someone, I’m there.”

“My best friend and I just started a body waxing business called Wax Cat. We broke away from the corporate channel, and now we’re doing our thing. Embracing diversity, body types, and self-love.”

“I didn’t even look at the lineup because I didn’t think I was going to make it, but at the last second, I came. I’m really excited to see Kings Of Leon. It’s because of the farewell goodbye. Last year at Okeechobee, as I was leaving, I was like, ‘Does anyone have any vitamin C?’ And someone was like, ‘Here’s a cutie!’ They gave me a clementine, and I was so excited. I love the vibes of everyone wanting to share happiness, and leave with a smile on their face. That’s why I really want to see Kings of Leon, because I know the vibes will be beautiful.”

“I’m getting into video editing. I know a lot of people hate the editing process, but that’s the part that I love—sitting there and going in for hours. Once you’re in, you enter a mindstate where you’re not thinking about anything other than your work. You get into a process where you’re focused on making your vision come alive. You’re taking what’s in your mind and seeing it come true.”

“We left yesterday morning around 10 a.m., and then we didn’t get here until today at 10 a.m. We came last year with another group of friends, and we loved it so much that we decided on to come back on our own. Hermitude played last year, and I had the most amazing experience. I’m also excited to see Flume. When it comes to Okeechobee, I love how open it is. And I love the ‘Be’ ‘Here’ ‘Now’ stages.”

“I volunteered for a couple years, and I work production and lighting design. Now, I drive around, put lights on ticket booths and hand out cool stuff. This is the fun gig. I’ve been involved in the festival community for about 4 years, but I’ve been doing production work for a decade. This is my time to go out and play.”

“I just found out what I want to do with my life, and this festival is my celebration of that. I want to start as a vet tech, and then become a veterinarian. I love cats, and I really want to work with felines. I have two right now. One is my emotional support animal. Because of that, I fell in love with cats. All I want to do is help animals.”

“The best part of the festival experience is meeting people. I love the music, of course… but meeting people is my favorite. The Brave Little Toaster was one of my favorite movies growing up. I’ve had 15 people see my shirt and come up to me and say, ‘Oh my god, The Brave Little Toaster! I haven’t thought about that in 20 years.’ Their smile from tugging at those nostalgia strings—it’s great.”

“My passion is beauty. I’m a make-up artist, and I love making people feel beautiful. I like to do aesthetics, dramatics, prom, formal, homecoming, Halloween… I feel inspired by the people that I’m working with. They show me what I’m capable of. They are the palette.”

“I’ve been getting tattooed for 15 years. To tell you the truth, I like the pain. I like to focus and control it. Tattooing gives me a connection with the artist. After an artist has put their work into your skin, they’ll never leave you. It’s as deep as art can get.”

“My friends call me mushie. I love lil’ amanita muscarias. It’s cause they’re so cute. Spores can be compacted and they can go through black holes. They’re the only things that can exist in the vacuum of space.”

“I was talking to my friend who I came here with. We all got in a crazy car accident months ago. There were seven of us in the car, and it was somewhat of a near death experience. I wasn’t seriously injured, but everything flashed before my eyes and it made a lot of things clearer. It helped me really focus on the connections I want to make, and how you don’t have all the time you think you have. You have to do the most with it. It puts things in perspective when you have that experience with your friends. You come out of it on another level, and you really appreciate everything more.”

“Well, Watkins Glen was my first festival. It was like 600,000 people. It was the Grateful Dead, the Band and the Allman brothers. I was just a kid then. I hitchhiked to California and back after. It was my first Dead show, even though I was there to see The Band. The Band was my band. I was from the East Coast, so the band was the New York band. The next year when they were traveling the big sound system, they got me in hard for it in ’74. All those great times, ya know, taking my family to the shows in the Volkswagen buses. I’m in the Grateful Dead cookbook, from the Vermont shows. “