Okeechobee Festival 2020
photo via @tillywillypanda

Okeechobee Festival returned in 2020 after taking 2019 off (pics)

Vampire Weekend proved to be a formidable headliner, drawing a respectable crowd to the Be stage. Though none of the weekend’s indie or rock bands could match up to the draw of the electronic and EDM acts, Vampire Weekend seemed to attract lots of attendees who wouldn’t otherwise be found at a guitar-based show.

The NYC indie band’s set was a solid effort, which included hits and fan-favorites from throughout its career. That said, it’s hard not to feel cheated by a 90-minute, 18-song set from a band that’s been known to perform marathon 30-song shows since the release of Father of the Bride. In theory, the PowWow, which was scheduled to begin at the exact time Vampire Weekend’s set ended and billed as “Featuring Vampire Weekend and Friends,” should have been an extension of the band’s set, and one that would showcase obvious collaborations with Haim, who are have multiple features on the most recent Vampire Weekend. That is not what happened.

Instead of “Featuring Vampire Weekend and Friends,” the evening’s PowWow featured absolutely no Vampire Weekend, and seemingly none of the band’s friends. Instead, what we got was a performance by Cory Wong and his band that stretched into the wee hours of the morning, though that was partially due to Daylight Savings Time taking effect during the performance. [Boca]

After taking 2019 off, Florida’s Okeechobee Festival returned for its 2020 edition, and despite the cancellations of SXSW and fellow Florida fest Ultra, went on as scheduled. As WFLX reports, Okeechobee released a statement in the beginning of the weekend:

The Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival (OMF) is proceeding as planned, with many festival goers already on site and enjoying OMF 2020. Numerous actions are being taken regarding hygiene awareness, and for everyone’s convenience we have increased our number of hand-washing stations and placed more hand sanitizer dispensers at all bathroom areas. We have also added additional signage and messaging to help direct people to these stations and reinforce basic health and hygiene practices. We look forward to sharing another amazing weekend with our Okeechobeeings at Sunshine Grove this weekend.”

Performers over the festival’s four days included Vampire Weekend, Haim, Blood Orange, Clairo, EarthGang, Flatbush Zombies, Mumford & Sons, and more. You can check out a few pictures of them, and many more of attendees getting an early start on summer festival season, in the gallery above.

photos by Alex Perez, Ivan Meneses, Juliana Bernstein, and Thornton Dreary for Insomniac Events