The 14th Annual 30A Songwriters Festival
If you consider yourself a fan of great music and the talented songwriters who make the songs you love possible, you’ll definitely want to make plans to attend the 14th Annual 30A Songwriters Festival — coming to the beautiful beach communities of Northwest Florida’s Gulf Coast January 13th thru 16th, 2023.
The long winter weekend of music and fun has now become one of the top songwriters festivals in the entire country and is revered by artists and music lovers around the globe, with more than 175 artists, encompassing over 225 performances at over 30 venues. The 14th annual 30A Songwriter’s Festival most definitely has something for everyone. Whether you’re a fan of 70’s folk music, 80’s rock, 90’s soul, or current country, this festival covers it all, and does so with some of the biggest hit writers and performers to ever grace the Hwy 30A area.
Past well-known performers include: Jackson Browne, John Prine, Jason Isbell, Don McLean, Ann Wilson of Heart, Rosanne Cash, Steve Earle (returning for 2023), Indigo Girls, Grace Potter, Emmylou Harris, Mavis Staples, Birds of a Feather, Dawes, Graham Nash, Brian Wilson, Brandi Carlile, Lee Ann Womack, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Suzanne Vega, Patty Griffin, The Raelyn Nelson Band, Lucinda Williams, Leon Russell, Rodney Crowell, Kristian Bush, Cheap Trick, Robert Randolph, Tanya Tucker, Shawn Mullins (back for 2023), David Ryan Harris, Matthew Sweet, Shawn Colvin, Richard Thompson, North Mississippi Allstars and many more.
The 2023 lineup is no less phenomenal, featuring headline performances by renowned artists Amy Grant, Lyle Lovett, Rickie Lee Jones, Steve Earle, Gin Blossoms, Morgan Wade, Yola, as well as well-known favorites; Jeffrey Steele, Dan Navarro, Abe Partridge, Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey, Shawn Mullins, Lilly Hiatt, Cooper Carter, John Driskell Hopkins (Zac Brown Band), Tom Rush, The Black Opera Revue, Paul Thorn, Sarah Guthrie, Tinsley Ellis, Darrell Scott, Hayes Carll, Nicole Chillemi and the Jazz Legacy Project, Will Hoge, Gretchen Peters, Kim Richey, Will Kimbrough, Cousin Curtiss, Mary Gauthier, and many others.
The festival is spread across a span of roughly 30 miles of South Walton’s unique beach communities and is comprised of the large outdoor main stage at Grand Boulevard in Miramar Beach, along with close to 30 smaller venues spanning the beach communities of Scenic Hwy. 30A — including popular restaurants, entertainment venues, hotel lobbies and cafés.
My friend, Casey Kearney, a fourth year returning artist, had this to say about her love of 30A Songwriter’s Festival. “This is my fourth year to be invited to perform and it never disappoints. 30A Songwriter’s is a songwriter and performers dream festival. Every single venue has insanely talented writers and performers and I always end up discovering new writers to become a fan of myself, while also performing.”
“Every single venue has insanely talented writers and performers and I always end up discovering new writers”
Casey kearney
When I asked another personal favorite of mine why he continues to return to 30A each year, multi-hit Nashville songwriter Jeffrey Steele lamented, “I always look forward to 30A Songwriter’s Festival, not only as another opportunity to do what I love, singing and entertaining, but also seeing the fans, my writer friends I don’t see often, and catching up and hangin’ at the beach.”
From the main stage at Grand Boulevard, featuring Saturday and Sunday’s headliners to popular spots like AJ’s Grayton Beach, Bud & Ally’s, Water Color’s Fish Out of Water, Boat House and Lake House to 30A Café to Rosemary Beach Town Hall, and Old Florida Fish House there is certainly no shortage of venues hosting great songwriters and musicians for this event. Since its inception in 2010, the 30A Songwriter’s Festival has become not only the largest and best-known songwriter’s festival in the southeast, but now the number one in the country! The festival is one of many endeavors made possible by Walton County Cultural Arts Alliance (CAA) and is co-produced by Russell Carter Artist Management. Additionally,100% of 30A Songwriter’s Festival’s net profits go toward supporting the CAA’s mission to advance the arts in Walton County through education, leadership, advocacy, and the funding of special arts related programs within the community.
Festival Co-Producer, Russell Carter, President of Russell Carter Artist Management has good reason to be immensely proud of the festival he helped to create, saying, “2023 marks the 14th year of producing 30A Songwriters Festival. It began as a small event and grew quickly into a premier one-of-a kind musical showcase for world-class songwriters. Our goal is to curate a Festival that presents the absolute best in touring songwriters and performers. We want our audiences to experience musicians representing diverse genres of music – jazz, blues, country, folk, Americana, and rock, with just two stipulations – they have to write their own music and they have to be really great at it!”
Grab Your Festival Tickets Today!
Full weekend passes start at only $425, and premium seating VIP passes at just $1,150. per person. The festival is quite the bargain considering you have the ability to see and hear so many remarkable songwriters and artists in your three to four days along the beautiful beaches of the 30A area. The organizers make this easy to navigate too, using the festivals official app which you can download for free. Learn more about each ticket packages.
Places To Stay During the 30A Songwriters Festival
Need a place to stay in the area? Just visit BeachGuide’s Highway 30A Vacation Rentals for details on hotels, condos, and houses offering everything you and your friends or family need for a perfect winter stay at the beach. View units and book online on BeachGuide, or save a little time and call a friendly BeachGuide vacation planner 7 days a week at 888-698-1488.
Will Estell is a writer, editor, producer, media and real estate entrepreneur with over 600 published magazine features, and numerous online articles in an array of genres. Over the past 25 years Will has been instrumental in founding twelve new magazine titles from concept to fruition, as well as serving as editor in chief for numerous others. Originally from the backwoods of rural Mississippi, Will is a father of three who splits his time between Destin and Navarre, along with his wife, ABC 3 news anchor, Laura Hussey. You can follow him at Facebook.com/Will.Estell or on IG @IfWillUsedInsta.
