GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Big: Culture & Arts Festival returned for its fourth consecutive year, blending nationally touring musicians, circus arts and street culture while spotlighting Florida artists, including some from Jacksonville.
The festival ran from April 10-12 featuring more than 100 performers across genres from rap and R&B to neo-soul, drum and bass, garage, house and indie rock. Headliners include Earl Sweatshirt, The Alchemist, Zack Fox & UWAY, Navy Blue, MAVI, Rae Khalil, Liv.e, Chanpan, redveil and Pink Siifu, with Ovrkast., Kelly Moonstone, Cleo Reed and Chuck Strangers among others.
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Those national acts shared bills with Florida-based artists and collectives, including 00JORDIE, Machina Records, Flozigg, Mijita, The Nancys, Buboy, Camp Blu, Cannibal Kids, Jolt Radio and Jacksonville artist Nikayla and the phuNk
The art block featured live paintings from Jacksonville artists like Metamorphvic.
Click through the gallery above.
The festival spread across a downtown footprint with eight stages — three outdoor stages and five venue stages — letting ticketholders move among performances at longtime Gainesville music anchors. Programming also includes a film screening from Miami’s Subtropic Film Festival, visual art installations, live painting and screen printing, fashion shows featuring Florida designers, a car show, panel discussions on art and activism, interactive workshops, a surprise parade and a full schedule of circus and aerialist performances.
What began as an independent record label and a series of silent discos evolved into How Bazar, a brick-and-mortar event space and shop that brought artisan makers, performances and workshops across Florida last year in an effort to unite the state’s creative communities.
“A lot of the national and touring artists on the lineup are friends who often collaborate with each other, so this creates an energy much like a summer camp or a family reunion. We want everyone attending Big to feel that kind of comfort, friendliness and openness to connect with other people,” Laila Fakhoury said, a co-producer of the event. “We also worked really hard to represent cities across Florida with our artist line-up. Since Florida can feel like a forgotten state in terms of artists rarely touring here, this feels like a great opportunity to elevate and uplift Florida talent.”
A small team led by Fakhoury and Jahi Khalfani said the festival aims to be a sustainable, Florida-based staple that helps build community and support creative economies across the state.
“Big represents a continuation of growth and progression of a vision that has been really intentional from day one: we want to build this into a sustainable, Florida-based staple,” Fakhoury said. “We’ve built trust and a reputation with our communities, and people are pouring themselves back into this project, ultimately creating a positive economy that we hope can support creatives in Florida and beyond.”