Suwannee Roots Revival will return to the storied Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in fall 2025 with headliners Oteil & Friends, Yonder Mountain String Band, and four days of Donna the Buffalo. The festival’s ninth edition will come to Live Oak, FL from October 9th to 12th, 2025.
For his headlining performance, Dead & Company bassist Oteil Burbridge will bring in keyboardist Melvin Seals (Jerry Garcia Band), guitarist Steve Kimock (The Other Ones, Zero), multi-instrumentalist Jason Crosby (Phil Lesh & Friends), drummer Johnny Kimock (Mike Gordon), guitarist Tom Guarna (Blood, Sweat & Tears), and vocalist Lamar Williams Jr. (Trouble No More). They will top a lineup that also includes bluegrass great Peter Rowan & The Walls of Time Band and singer-songwriter staple Jim Lauderdale & The Game Changers plus Della Mae, Seth Walker, Henhouse Prowlers, Walter Parks & The Unlawful Assembly, Ain’t Sisters, Jon Stickley Trio, The Lee Boys, and John Mailander’s Forecast, in addition to fidddler John Mailander’s duties as artist-at-large.
These acts and plenty more will perform across the Dance Tent, Music Hall, the Music Farmers Stage at The Back Porch, and Suwannee’s iconic Amphitheater Stage, renamed during Suwannee Roots to Big Cosmo’s Amphitheater in honor of late festival co-founder Randy Judy (a.k.a. Big Cosmo) who passed away last spring. Additionally, there is an open call for anyone to come play at the campground pickin’ party sites including at Slopryland, hosted by Sloppy Joe, and the Bill Monroe Shrine, hosted by Quartermoon.
New for 2025 is the Music Farmers Stage at The Back Porch, which festival organizers call a “VIP section for everyone.” Debuted at Roots Revival’s sister festival Suwannee Spring Reunion back in March, the new stage will be located inside the former The Porch Stage building, will be open from the start of music until the end of each night’s performances, and will host special sets. The Music Farmers Stage will provide plenty of seating, food selections from nearby vendors, a full bar set up, and live video feed from Big Cosmo’s Amphitheater.
The new Music Farmers Stage is sponsored by the festival’s non-profit arm, Live Oak Music and Arts Foundation (LOMAF). The non-profit will host a raffle with prizes donated by festival merchants, artists, and sponsors, held on-site at a tent at the top of the hill at Big Cosmo’s Amphitheater. The raffle will benefit LOMAF to support music and arts programs in North Florida schools, including the Suwannee Spirit Kids Music Camp.
Tickets for Suwannee Roots Revival 2025 are on sale here. Multi-day weekend tickets include festival admission for four days of music and primitive camping from Thursday to Sunday nights. Military and student discounts are available, and children 12 and under are admitted free if accompanied by a ticketed parent or legal guardian.
