Jacksonville Beach's signature blues festival is done.
Executive Director Sam Veal announced Wednesday, Aug. 26, that the board of directors voted unanimously to retire Springing the Blues after 34 years at the SeaWalk Pavilion. The 34th annual festival, held April 10–12, was the last.
The board cited escalating operational costs and the evolving landscape of large-scale free events, according to the Beach Gazette. But Veal framed the decision as a victory lap, not a defeat.
"We know this will come as quite a shock to many," Veal said in a statement. After reviewing 34 years of work, "the board has determined that we have done our part very well, and that today the blues is very much alive and well and getting better all the time."
The free oceanfront festival launched in 1991 after Veal pitched the idea to then-newly elected Jacksonville Beach Mayor Reid McCormick in 1989. The inaugural event featured five hours of live music on a small concrete band shell, with acts including Tinsley Ellis and Noble "Thin Man" Watts.
Over three decades, the festival grew from that modest stage into one DownBeat magazine named among the top 50 music festivals in the world. Veal said the cumulative economic impact exceeded $50 million.
McCormick recalled the festival's origins at a 2019 Beaches History Museum exhibit opening, as reprinted in the Beach Gazette's announcement: "Sam comes to me and says, 'I want to put Jacksonville Beach on the map for America's only indigenous music form' … And I said, 'All right ... keep talking, Sam.' And he said, 'Blues music.'"
The festival served as a launchpad for artists who became household names. In 1995, Veal booked a then-unknown Susan Tedeschi, who stayed at his home and rode his daughter's bike to the venue. She went on to win a Grammy and form the Tedeschi Trucks Band with Jacksonville guitarist Derek Trucks, who performed on the 2004 festival stage.
Alligator Records founder Bruce Iglauer supplied talent for years, sending artists including Selwyn Birchwood, Tab Benoit, Samantha Fish, Joe Bonamassa and Christone "Kingfish" Ingram to the Pavilion stage.
The festival's "Blues in the Schools" education program introduced thousands of area students to the genre over its run.
Veal said a digital retrospective honoring the musicians, staff and key moments from the festival's history is in the works.
Live music at the SeaWalk Pavilion will continue. Springing the Blues Foundation Inc. will partner with Jax Beach Festivals Inc. to produce the Community First Seawalk Music Festival, which moves from its traditional late-February slot to the April dates. The 15th annual edition is scheduled for Saturday, April 3, through Sunday, April 4, 2027.
What's next at SeaWalk Pavilion:
- 15th Annual Community First Seawalk Music Festival: Saturday, April 3–Sunday, April 4, 2027, SeaWalk Pavilion. Features live music, local vendors, kids' activities and food.
