by Angela Betancourt
This past weekend more than 20,000 country music fans attended the Rock the Ocean’s Tortuga Music Festival on the sands of Fort Lauderdale’s South Point Park Beach. Saturday’s early rain and the threat for bad weather all weekend, didn’t keep people away from the two day celebration of music and ocean conservation awareness.
Twenty-plus top-tier entertainers performed on different stages. Highlights included electrifying performances by headliners Kenny Chesney and Eric Church as well as high-energy shows by some of country and rocks biggest names including Eli Young Band, Jake Owen, The Avett Brothers, and Grace Potter.
It was all about “No Shoes Nation” when Kenny Chesney took the stage on Saturday night. He was the last act of the evening and the crowd went wild. Thousands of Landshark beers were waved in the air as people sang along to all of his songs. One fan, caught up in the excitement, found a way to the stage to be closer to the country rock star.
When Jake Owen performed Sunday another adoring fan managed to get on the stage and was quickly removed by security. Security is always a big issue at festivals and concerts however, the festival organizers used a company similar to Main Event Security, to ensure that everyone was kept safe. Halfway into his performance, women’s bathing suit bottoms also made their way onto the stage. Jake picked them up and waved them around over his head. Shortly after, he was flashed by a woman in the crowd.
It was definitely a party atmosphere and a celebration of good times but Tortuga was about more than music and beer. The festival was about bringing awareness to ocean conservation and the organizations that are taking the lead on the issues currently affecting the ocean’s delicate ecosystem. The Rock the Ocean Foundation, The Guy Harvey Foundation, and Landshark Lager’s partnership with Ocean Conservancy, all aim to educate and increase public awareness, support scientific research, and create programs designed to preserve and restore ocean life.
The festival featured a one-of-a-kind Conservation Village in partnership with the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. The village boasted exhibits from 30 world-class preservation and educational organizations and daily appearances by Guy Harvey himself. Local chefs prepared sustainable seafood while news anchors ran panel interviews with scientists and artists allowing music fans to learn more about ocean preservation and ways to get involved.
Rock The Ocean’s founder Chris Stacey ended the festival with a final farewell message. He encouraged festival goers to leave the beach the way they found it by picking up litter on the way out. He also promised the return of Tortuga 2014 which based on this year’s turnout is a good idea.
For more information, please visit www.tortugamusicfestival.com
PHOTO GALLERY
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Photo Credit: Mark C. Austin