GSB Festival rocks Shorefront Park

Link to full story

This past weekend, people from all over Long Island came together to embrace a shared love that unites us all: music. From July 20 to 23, The Great South Bay Music Festival rocked Shorefront Park in Patchogue Village, as the most-anticipated musical event of the summer. This year marks the celebrated 15th anniversary of the festival, which is the largest and longest-running music festival on Long Island. Presented by Island Federal and sponsored by Voodoo Ranger, headliners included Electric Hot Tuna, Dirty Heads, Goldfinger, Phil Lesh & Friends, Gov’t Mule and more.

While listening to performances from the four different stages, festival attendees strolled through a wide assortment of vendors and endless entertainment throughout Shorefront Park. An official merchandise stand sold band merchandise, allowing festival attendees to show off their favorite headliners on their apparel. Handmade goods, including beautiful crochet garments, artisanal jewelry, and tweed hats, were hot commodities at the festival. In the craft village, the spirit of creativity was palpable as local artists showcased their work and henna tattoo vendors shared their craft. The Great South Bay Music Festival also encouraged children to join in on the fun in the KidZone—an area with music and entertaining performances for children.

The four-day event proved to be more than just a music festival—it was a food lover’s dream. Due to the endless amount of food and drink options, there were no pesky lines, allowing attendees to spend more time enjoying the performances and vendors. With a plethora of new food vendors and food trucks this year, the festival was perhaps the only Long Island event where one could purchase smoothies, lobster rolls, funnel cakes, oysters, exotic game jerky, burritos, and ramen, all in the same vicinity.

Still, the musical performances showcased the greatest variety of all. Over 55 performers graced the four stages of The Great South Bay Music Festival. With musical genres including reggae, country, blues, indie, classic and contemporary rock, pop, alternative, and funk, the festival was full of stellar performances for everyone to enjoy.