Local music artists got the opportunity to shine outside on stage in East Milton during Saturday’s Gulf Coast Music Festival, while residents were able to enjoy listening to live music in a family-friendly atmosphere.
Supporting the local music scene is one of the primary goals of the festival, according to John Krause of Dark Horse Productions, the promotion company behind Saturday’s event.
“We got some of the most dynamic music talent on the Gulf Coast,” Krause said.
In addition to providing live music, the event provided several vendors providing food, beverages and sales items.
Krause hopes the music festival will be the first of several and possibly open doors for other events.
“We would like for this to be the launch platform for more outdoor events…not only in Santa Rosa (County),” he said.
Krause mentioned the cancellation of music events which previously took place in Gulf Coast area, like Springfest and Bayfest.
“All of those events bring in the entertainment and everything, but no one ever really focused on the local talent,” he said.
Pensacola native Lauren Kay was one of several headliners to perform on the main stage. Kay, who regularly performs Americana music was excited to perform alongside her band.
“When its events like this, I can bring the entire band and that is really nice,” she said.
Kay, who has been performing live music in the area for nearly 20 years, said playing in a family-friendly atmosphere allows her to share her song writing capabilities with the crowd.
“When I play in bars, I play a lot of covers,” she said. “Crowds like this love to hear your original music, it can be more serious and matters of the heart.”
In addition to enjoying the outside weather, Milton residents Jeff and Casey Greene also made a point to attend the event and show their support for the performers.
“We love local music…this is awesome,” Jeff said. “We hope they have it again.”
Casey, who hopes to perform live music of her own in the near future, said it is her “duty to come out and give (local artists) that support.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Gulf Coast Music Festival highlights local artists