The Village of Patchogue will be playing host to the annual Great South Bay Music Festival this weekend, where more than 45 local and national musical acts of all different genres are scheduled to perform.
One local performer, Patchogue native Jay Scott, said he decided to participate in the festival because of the great experience he had performing there last year with his band of two years, the Jay Scott Band.
“It’s a great festival, a lot of people come through there and it’s very well run,” Scott told the Press. “The energy we get from the audience and creating music with my bandmates is the best part. Last year we played in the cultural tent but we packed the tent out, so this year we were moved to the main stage.”
Great South Bay Music Festival Schedule
For Caroline Doctorow and her band The Steamrollers, this is their third time playing the festival. “It’s rewarding to me when you play songs that you’ve written,” Doctorow told the Press. “I like the connection on a song writer level, it’s rewarding.”
Doctorow, who classifies her group as “a rock band disguised as a folk band,” said she is particularly excited about performing songs off her latest album “Sweet To Me” and to share the stage with the group, Electric Hot Tuna. “It is always terrific to play at festivals for such a loyal audience,” she said. “Hopefully we’re getting through to many people.”
Other local performers scheduled to perform in the festival include DJ to the stars Rob Patterson who will be spinning rock, dance, house and hip-hop music while simultaneously playing the guitar. The local trio The Sun Gets Down will also be hitting one of the festival’s three stages over the weekend, performing their electric blend of funk and jazz.
“We’re not trying to be unique, we’re not trying to do what’s hip, and we’re not trying to be musical non-conformists, we’re just trying to be us,” said group member Ryan Engelbert on the band’s official Facebook page.
Every year the festival has donated vendor space to local charities in an effort to raise awareness. This year the main charity being recognized is Long Island Cares-The Harry Chapin Food Bank, which works toward feeding and supplying emergency food to the more than 200,000 needy families from Long Island. Sponsors are asking for guests of the festival to bring one can of non-perishable food with them to donate.
For young concertgoers, a complimentary kid zone will be available for children to enjoy puppeteers, storytelling, music, games and crafts including musical instrument-making.
Event organizers recommend all guests bring a lawn chair unless they have purchased VIP tickets.
The festival will run from Friday, July 15 to Sunday, July 17. General admission tickets are free for children 10 and under. Tickets range in price from $26.99-$70.50 for adults depending on the type of admission ticket purchased. Discounts will be given to college students with valid ID, seniors over the age of 65 and Village of Patchogue residents at the gate and on the festivals website, greathsouthbaymusicfestival.com.
