Frontyard Festival To Continue Through Mid-December

Encouraged by overwhelmingly positive feedback from guests, artists and sponsors, Dr. Phillips Center today announced it will extend its award-winning Frontyard FestivalTM through mid-December. The festival was originally expected to close June 12.

The arts center also shared a diverse group of festival artists already confirmed to play the Mainstage at Seneff Arts Plaza:

• July 18-Country music star Travis Tritt
• July 26-British progressive band King Crimson
• August 1-Jazz artists Dave Koz & Friends featuring Kirk Whalum, Mindi Abair and Vincent Ingala
• November 12-80s ballad band Air Supply
• November 13-Trio Mary Chapin Carpenter, Marc Cohn and Shawn Colvin
• December 4: Jazz legend Wynton Marsalis with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
• December 9-Motown's Four Tops and The Temptations
• December 11-Singer-songwriter David Foster

The Frontyard Festival will also welcome several local community events and performances, 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.

"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 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."

In addition to providing seed funding for the festival last year, the City, County and AdventHealth are continuing their financial support. Last month, the Orlando City Council approved up to $500,000 to support the festival's extension.

"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 our darkest times, this new venue was a beacon of light showing that our community was resilient in the face of unprecedented challenges and I'm happy to see its operation continue in our downtown as we continue to recover."

Earlier today, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners agreed to support the festival's extension and awarded the arts center $500,000 in revenue recovery funding it received from the federal American Rescue Plan.

"Orange County is committed to supporting a vibrant arts community," said Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings. "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."

The arts center has begun transforming the three-acre festival venue, adding an additional 500 guest boxes as well as a fifth and sixth seat option for each box, effectively more than doubling guest capacity from 2,000 to approximately 4,500. With most COVID restrictions easing, the boxes will be placed adjacent to one another in a contiguous row; rows will be spaced five feet apart. Masks will be encouraged for those who have not yet been vaccinated, but are no longer required in or outside the box.

"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."

In addition to funding from Orlando and Orange County, Ramsberger is quick to point out the extension would not have been possible without support from presenting sponsor AdventHealth, along with VyStar Credit Union, Florida Blue, Massey Services, Experience Kissimmee, Fifth Third Bank, and Tijuana Flats and the Just in Queso Foundation. The festival is also supported by in-kind partnerships with WESH-TV, iHeartMedia, Clear Channel Outdoor, Orlando Weekly and Watermark Publishing Group.

"AdventHealth's longstanding support for the Dr. Phillips Center and those who enjoy arts education in Central Florida serves to elevate our hope and renew our health-body, mind and spirit," said Sharon Line Clary, vice president of marketing and communications for AdventHealth Central Florida. "We're proud of our collaboration with the Dr. Phillips Center as the presenting partner of the Frontyard Festival and the joy it brings to our community. As we emerge from the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, arts and entertainment are essential to positive growth and healing, and Central Florida is fortunate to have such a welcoming venue strengthened by talented performers and artists to make us feel whole."

What's New

Along with more guest boxes, the arts center is making several other additions and enhancements to the festival:

• A fun, friendly Trivia Night & Happy Hour will take place twice a month.

• Family movies and now cult-classics such as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," "Coming to America," "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "National Lampoon's Vacation" will be shown several times a month.

• In October, popular jazz brunches will return featuring The Jazz Orchestra at Dr. Phillips Center.

• Southern BBQ and street tacos will join gourmet grilled cheese, pizza and burgers on the menu; guests may continue to order from their mobile devices with food delivered directly to their box.

• Frontyard Festival merchandise such as umbrellas, seat cushions, koozies and blankets may be purchased on-site.

What's Changed

Several programming adjustments have been made in consideration of the summer heat and COVID restrictions easing throughout the region:

• The Live & Local Lunch Series, featuring local musicians displaced by the pandemic, will take a break during the summer months and return in the fall.

• The regular morning fitness classes presented by YMCA Central Florida will no longer take place.

Several shows are on sale now. Guests who become "luminary donors" with a gift of as little as $95 receive early access to tickets. To purchase tickets and learn more, visit frontyardfestival.org.

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