(Photo by Jeremy Williams)
ORLANDO | The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts announced June 22 that it will extend its popular Frontyard Festival through mid-December. The festival was originally set to close June 12.
“Watching the community experience Frontyard Festival and hearing their excitement has been incredibly rewarding—and inspiring,” said Dr. Phillips Center President and CEO Kathy Ramsberger in a press release. “In every post-show survey, guests have praised the team for creating the festival and giving them a safe, secure environment in which to enjoy the arts. They’ve asked us to continue, and with support from partners like the City of Orlando, Orange County and presenting sponsor AdventHealth, we’ve figured out how to make it happen—and make it even better.”
Last month, the Orlando City Council approved up to $500,000 to support the festival’s extension. The Orange County Board of County Commissioners joined the city June 22 and awarded the arts center another $500,000 in revenue recovery funding it received from the federal American Rescue Plan.
“Throughout the pandemic, we’ve found creative ways to be together safely and support some of our most impacted community groups, like our local artists, thanks to the Frontyard Festival,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer in the release.
“The Frontyard Festival is an innovative way for our citizens to gather and enjoy a cultural experience while also employing a diverse array of musicians, performers and local restaurants impacted by the pandemic,” added Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings in the release.
With COVID-19 restrictions easing, the Dr. Phillips Center will be adding an additional 500 boxes to the Frontyard Festival as well as allow for a fifth and sixth seat option per box. This will allow the festival to accommodate roughly 4,500 attendees, up from the 2,000 attendees it currently can hold. Masks will be encouraged for those who have not yet been vaccinated, but are no longer required in or outside the box.
Along with additional seating, the Frontyard Festival will also add a Trivia Night & Happy Hour event twice a month; more movie nights featuring cult classics such as “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Coming to America,” “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “National Lampoon’s Vacation”; and more live concerts. Performers already confirmed include country music star Travis Tritt (July 18), British progressive band King Crimson (July 26), jazz artist Dave Koz (Aug. 1), ’80s band Air Supply (Nov. 12), singer-songwriter trio Mary Chapin Carpenter, Marc Cohn and Shawn Colvin (Nov. 13), Motown’s Four Tops and The Temptations (Dec. 9) and singer David Foster (Dec. 11).
Local artists will also feature prominently into the festival including downtown outdoor arts experience Immerse, Central Florida’s Bach Festival Orchestra and Choir, cultural celebration FusionFest and the Songs of the Season holiday concert with Rollins College and Full Sail University.
“We did exactly what we set out to do: stay relevant, keep the community engaged in the arts and keep people employed,” said Ramsberger. “And now, we have the privilege of evolving the festival because of its early and intensifying success. I’m so proud of our colleagues for making this happen.”
For more information and to purchase tickets for any of the Frontyard Festival events, go to DrPhillipsCenter.org/Events/Frontyard-Festival.
