OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival made its comeback in March. Now its organizers say they can’t put a date on the next one.
The independent Soundslinger team told fans it is pausing plans for another edition as rising talent and production costs put pressure on the festival.
“Our passion for OMF will never fade, but we’ve faced some hard realities,” organizers wrote. “The festival industry is in a difficult place right now with rising costs across talent, production and more.”
They added that the business “can be unforgiving,” especially for independent promoters without the resources of larger festival companies.
The news comes just six months after the festival returned to Sunshine Grove following a two-year absence. The four-day event featured The Lumineers, GRiZ, T-Pain, LCD Soundsystem, FISHER and Cage the Elephant.
Soundslinger said it will use the pause to rethink the grounds, improve how attendees move through the venue and revisit programming. Organizers said the festival’s mix of camping, music, art and wellness will remain when it returns, but offered no timetable.
“We want nothing more than to reunite with you all as soon as possible,” the team wrote, “but we need to do what is best for the festival in the long run.”
Its parting message to fans: “We’ll be in touch when The Portal reopens.”
