The annual Purple Hatter’s Ball will return once again to the Spirit of Suwannee Park in Live Oak, FL for the eleventh straight year. Held as a benefit for the Rachel Morningstar Foundation, the festival is set to take place between June 1-2, 2018. Today, the festival dropped a stacked initial lineup.
The 2018 Purple Hatter’s Ball will be headlined by seven-piece super funk futurists Lettuce, who are known for throwing down some of their best performances on the SOSMP Amphitheater Stage, and Arizona-based four-piece Spafford, who are in the midst of a meteoric rise within the jam scene, taking over airwaves on Sirius XM’s Jam_On and recently scheduled for a landmark performance at Madison Square Garden during the NY Knicks vs Miami Heat game. Also performing is Breaking Biscuits featuring Aron Magner and Marc Brownstein from The Disco Biscuits, and Adam Deitch and Borham Lee of Break Science. The experimental band has only played a handful of shows, and this will mark their first performance in the southeast.
Also joining the line-up are Florida-based jam aficionados The Heavy Pets, who are currently touring behind their new full length album Strawberry Mansion, the one-and-only sacred steel master Roosevelt Collier and his band, Toubab Krewe with their energetic instrumental world music that blends Caribbean, Malian and influences from the “Dirty South”, the conscious world-reggae sounds of DubConscious–Rachel’s favorite band–and twin producer-duo MZG. Memphis-based soul sensations Southern Avenue, HIVEMIND, Catfish Alliance, Trial By Stone, and Vlad The Inhaler round out the initial lineup.
PHB 2018 will showcase a diverse lineup of music on two stages including the picturesque Amphitheater Stage surrounded by massive live oak trees draped with Spanish moss, and the much-loved Beach Stage which offers plenty of shaded area for dancing during daytime sets and sun-drenched sand along the black Suwannee River, where festival goers chill on inflatable rafts and play games.
A favorite moment of the weekend is when Rachel’s mother, Margie Weiss (aka Mama Margie), leads an emotional ceremony celebrating her daughter’s memory. Each year, they released 24 monarch butterflies – 23 to represent Rachel’s age when she was taken from this world and 1 for her spirit that lives on. This year, Mama Margie will share several positive updates on progress being made by the Rachel Morningstar Foundation and unveil a documentary about Rachel’s Law.
Tickets include two days of music and primitive camping. Mama Margie VIP upgrades that include two dinners backstage with artists and staff, an event poster and tee shirt and preferred viewing are available for $199. For a limited time, the park is also offering a very special deal – receive an air-conditioned one bedroom cabin and a golf cart for $400. There is no better way to experience Spirit of the Suwannee in style. The park also offers guest comforts including a general store, a full-service restaurant, showers and water stations. To join the waitlist for cabins, golf cart rentals and RV hookups, please contact SOSMP at (386) 364-1683.
Stay tuned for additional artist announcements and details on live art, yoga and workshops.
