Norah Jones plays during last year's Sing Out Loud headline showcase in St. Augustine. | Melissa Marcarelli, St. Johns County Cultural Events Inc.
Published on September 15, 2025 at 11:37 am
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This year’s Sing Out Loud music festival in St. Augustine is headlined by popular artists like Hozier, beabadoobee, Father John Misty and Rilo Kiley, but local artists and venues are getting in on the action with free showcase events all over town.
During September, St. Johns County Cultural Events Inc., the nonprofit organization that runs the St. Augustine Amphitheater, the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall and the Sing Out Loud festival, hosts more than 100 free shows along with its marquee main event. Those shows range from poetry and standup comedy to local hip-hop, indie rock and bluegrass.
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Dianya Markovits, director of public relations, says the goal since the festival began nine years ago was to boost the local music scene by supporting St. Johns County’s artists and venues.
“September really is a slow month for tourism in St. Johns County, and when you don’t have tourists coming to St. Johns County, that also means restaurants and bars tend to cut costs. Having live music is some of those costs that would get cut,” Markovits says.
And not only do the organizers book acts from near and far to play at local venues, they foot the bill to ensure they’re paid, too.
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The vibrant music scene
“We’re firm believers in supporting local music, and part of that is supporting the artists that play.”
Concert events across the area began Sept. 5, but they run through Sept. 28 with showcases featuring local and touring bands.
One of those events will start at 6 p.m. Thursday at Spinster Abbott’s Taproom & Bodega on San Marco Avenue. The free concert features the Gainesville jazz funk group Dionysus, Miami singer-songwriter Quiana Major and local rock outfit Pocket Knife Dance Party.
Eric Hasselman is the guitarist for Pocket Knife Dance Party. He played a showcase event for Sing Out Loud a few years ago with another band, but the 21-year-old is excited to play this year’s event with two of his best friends.
St. Augustine’s local music scene is vibrant, Hasselman says, and that means there’s shows all year round, but there’s “an energy in St. Augustine in the month of September that is a noticeable difference,” Hasselman says.
“Obviously you have the Nights of Lights in the December and January time period,” he says, “and it’s kind of that spark but for the music aspect of St. Augustine.”
Part of the appeal is the number of concerts happening at the same time, many of them scattered around St. Augustine’s downtown core.
“The fact that they’re all free is so welcoming, and the fact that they’re all usually within like a 2-mile radius is also really nice,” Hasselman says. “To be like, ‘I want to see this opener at Spinster Abbott’s, and then I want to see this headliner at Sarbez. Good thing all we have to do is go over the Bridge of Lions and it’s right there.’”
One of the venues participating in the local showcases is Shanghai Nobby’s, a neighborhood bar that’s been open for 40 years just over the Bridge of Lions on Anastasia Island.
Owner David Wernicke says Sing Out Loud’s strategic placement in September has been a big boon.
And with The Amphitheater paying artists and eliminating the need for venues to charge a cover fee to come hear music, Wernicke says Sing Out Loud showcase events can make new regulars out of people who may have never heard of a particular spot.
“The fact that they’re all free shows sponsored by The Amphitheater,” he says, “more people will be coming in.”
He says Sing Out Loud is a great opportunity for people who live in the area and tourists alike to come out, be a part of their community and see some great music.
“Keep the dream alive,” Wernicke says. “If you’re a musician, participate. If you’re visiting our lovely town, come to the events.”
A full list of shows is available on the Sing Out Loud festival website. The Live Wildly Showcase, Sing Out Loud’s main event, is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
