FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Starting Friday, Keith City, Luke Combs, Jelly Roll and Shaboozey are simply a few of the massive names that can take the stage on Fort Lauderdale Seashore for this weekend’s twelfth annual Tortuga Music Pageant.
It’s greater than only a good time on the sand, because the seashore social gathering is about displaying love for the ocean and stepping as much as shield it.
They arrive for the music however depart extra acutely aware about what we’re doing to our planet, and the pressing want to guard it.
“Right here now we have 100,000 folks over the course of the weekend,” stated Tortuga Music Pageant Founder and CEO Chris Stacey. “They actually will change their way of life and their habits to be higher stewards of the ocean, simply by one thing they discovered out right here on the seashore with us.”
The pageant brings a few of the largest names in largely nation, but additionally rock, pop and hip hop onto three phases proper on the sands off A1A for a celebration with a function, impressed by Stacey’s love for the ocean and keenness for conservation.
“The primary time I ever noticed a shark or a turtle within the water, I used to be like, it simply modified me,” stated Stacey. “After which I spotted how threatened the entire thing was, and I used to be like, now we have to do one thing about it.”
A 25-year veteran of the music business, in 2013 Stacey reached out to a few of his well-known associates when he acquired the massive thought of throwing an enormous music pageant proper on the seashore to profit the ocean.
“I keep in mind speaking to Sheryl Crow about it, we had been actually on a tour bus and I used to be like, ‘I feel I’m gonna do that. You understand, would you have an interest?’ And she or he’s like, ‘I’ll be there. Inform me the date I might be there,‘” stated Stacey.
Over the previous 12 years, greater than 350 of music’s largest stars have rocked the ocean, elevating thousands and thousands of {dollars}. The live performance is for revenue however a portion the proceeds and 100% of all merchandise bought goes to conservation efforts like coral reef restoration, shark tagging, sea turtle rescues and ocean clean-ups.
“We help a number of completely different teams at College of Miami, Nova Southeast, FIU, FAU,” stated Stacey. “They arrive out, inform us what applications we’re engaged on, after which we push the cash to them to activate their causes.”
Not solely has Tortuga grown into one of many largest nation music festivals within the nation, it’s additionally probably the most sustainable on the planet.
“There isn’t any plastic or single-use plastic allowed on our web site,” stated Stacey.
Wristbands are comprised of 50% recycled supplies, water is served in recyclable cans and all service put on is fabricated from plant supplies and compostable.
“We really moved to a brand new cup final 12 months, which is a marine, biodegradable, compostable cup,” stated Stacey. “On the finish of our pageant, we ship all of them to composting, they usually actually flip into the soil.”
All of it serves to make folks extra acutely aware concerning the eco-footprint they depart behind.
“Let’s put it of their faces after they’re not anticipating it, and in natural methods and extremely experiential methods,” Stacey stated.
The guts of the Tortuga Music Pageant, sandwiched between each phases, is the Rock the Ocean Conservation Village, the place 32 nonprofits will take up area, giving pageant goers an opportunity to have interaction with them, develop into educated, and after they depart, hopefully develop into higher stewards of the atmosphere.
“I name it the nice migration,” stated Stacey. “So each time an enormous act ends on one stage, tens of 1000’s of individuals migrate this fashion, they usually come proper by means of this village, they usually all cease and all people’s making a gift of prizes and doing enjoyable stuff.”
From the start, Tortuga’s mission has been not simply to reduce the influence on the atmosphere, however to depart it higher than they discovered it.
“See these sea oats right here? So we’ve planted over 30,000 sea oats on this seashore since we began doing the music pageant right here,” stated Stacey. “You are able to do one thing massive and enjoyable and nonetheless do it the best manner that doesn’t influence your atmosphere in a horribly unfavorable manner.”
Composting all organics can also be one of many sustainability practices Tortuga has efficiently executed through the years, serving to the pageant obtain an virtually 81% diversion of waste from the social gathering going to landfill, actually main the whole occasions business.
The aim this 12 months is to get to 90% diversion and obtain zero waste.
For extra data on this 12 months’s pageant, together with performers get tickets, click here.
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