Like many music festival producers, Kevin Collinsworth knows some of the best events head off-stage to deliver a memorable camping adventure. And he’s not bashful about what he’s got in the spread that’s home to the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival (OMF) each spring.
The sprawling 800-acre property just northeast of Lake Okeechobee in Central Florida creates a stellar destination for festival camping enthusiasts. From car camping to RV glamping, Collinsworth, 46, and his team at Soundslinger LLC spent almost a full year since OMF 2017 relocating and planting trees, creating new areas, and leveling grounds to elevate any style of camping outing.
“Overall, it’s just to make it a more enjoyable experience,” says the South Florida native. “Most festivals don’t own their own site, at least at this stage of growth.”
With 600 acres put to festival use, Collinsworth expects to fill the 20,000 car-camping sites and hundreds of 20-by-50-foot RV and trailer camping spots clustered in two prime spreads. That’s not to mention the multiple stages, countless art installations, and funky, hidden hideaways.
Built on a planned equestrian neighborhood that went belly-up years ago, OMF enjoys six miles of paved roads but no RV hookups. Refills and pumpouts are provided daily for a fee. VIP RVs enjoy showers, a private lounge, and prime viewing.
So what led this veteran event promoter to this patch of land in the Sunshine State…?
Tell us about Kevin Collinsworth, the music lover and event producer…
I was born in Miami Springs and have worked in the industry all my life. I started in night clubs in South Florida, then managed and booked venues, production, and touring. I ran Chili Pepper (now Revolution Live in downtown Fort Lauderdale), worked nationally and internationally, then freelanced.
My first festival was Woodstock ’94. I came from Miami to go to Saugerties and met friends along the way. It was a combination of fly, train, and drive, because Saugerties was not easy to get to at that time. And no cellphones. Imagine that. I go the Gov Ball in New York, and went up to Los Dells, the Latin festival up in Wisconsin, last fall. I swing by a bunch, fly in fly out for the day, to see friends and vendors and hear great music. There’s a lot of clever, creative people out there. So we’re looking for best practices. I always want to see what people are doing. And personally, I’m a big music lover. I want to see live music.
Now in its third year, what role does Okeechobee play in the national music festival scene?
We like to think of ourselves as the first camping festival of the season. March in Florida is some of the best weather in the country. Low humidity, lots of sunshine. We’re counter cyclical to other festivals because they start up later in the season or summertime. That gives us an opportunity to showcase what we have.
Talk to us about OMF’s RV camping experience?
We try to curate a unique experience. The campers are surrounded by palm trees, and oaks and pines. It’s an interesting mix. So many folks do not see palm trees on a regular basis. We’re custodians of restorative wetlands and maintain a pastoral environment, which we take seriously, and we have to manicure and take care of the festival site.
The VIP experience is really a great experience. They have good viewing access, the crowd pleasers like bathrooms with AC, and they don’t have to walk as far to get to the stages. It’s all the discrete services that make their lives more pleasant.
How do you stay on top of your game in delivering an elevated experience?
I don’t want to stay in the echo chamber. I want to talk to people in VIP to hear what they want, what they value in the experience. That’s something that’s important to stay abreast of. We’ve found out that we get tons of people from in-state and from every continent other than Antarctica. Especially people who are vacationing here and didn’t realize the festival was happening. People were surprised that this festival was in their backyard.
With all the multi-day festivals, whether in a hotel, aboard a cruise ship, or on people driving in with their trailer, RV, or tent, what challenges do you face?
It’s highly competitive. Florida is a highly competitive and challenging live music state. If you think about trying to see touring bands down here, it’s slim pickings, compared to major metro areas, like Chicago or New York. From a 50-person venue to Madison Square Garden, they can attract touring bands. From a touring standpoint, it doesn’t make sense to drive 12 hours through the state of Florida. You could spend as much time driving down Florida and out again as you would to get from New York to Chicago.
How do you compete with the big national event producers?
The challenge is, we are a small independent producer who’s competing against the big dogs, AEG and LiveNation. These are huge entertainment companies. That’s a challenge. It keeps you sharp. You have to stay on your toes. They have a lot more firepower than us. So we just have to be smarter, work harder, and make sure we deliver a special and unique experience for our attendees and our sponsor partners (Corona Extra, Bacardi, Casa Noble tequila, Stillhouse, Tito’s Vodka, High Brew cold-brew coffee, The Facts Now, and ENO hammocks).
A big part of that we think is our property. We believe we have one of the most beautiful festival sites that’s really easy to get to – two hours from Miami, an hour from Orlando. And we have some of best weather in the nation at that time.
Florida is a tough music market. But check us out. Seeing is believing.
What advice would you give your 21-year-old self just getting started in the live music business?
Be tenacious and hungry, and never stop learning.