HarbourFest music festival to make its debut in Jupiter in October

HarbourFest, a new “coastal country” music festival, comes to Jupiter on Oct. 18 and Oct. 19.

A new two-day “coastal country” music festival called HarbourFest is debuting in Jupiter this October.
The event will take place at the Plaza Down Under on the Riverwalk and is expected to draw around 5,000 attendees.
Organizers state the festival is a unique Jupiter event, not a replacement for the canceled SunFest.

JUPITER — A two-day music festival that is expected to draw 5,000 people to the Riverwalk and the nearby shopping destination, Harbourside Place, is just weeks away.

HarbourFest has been in the works since the beginning of this year. The Jupiter Town Council agreed to spend $60,000 on it in January and it is backed by the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce, Jupiter Medical Center and other community partners.

HarbourFest will bring a set of artists, including well-known Florida bands MixTape and the Caribbean Chillers, and food vendors to the Plaza Down Under on the Riverwalk in Jupiter, which is located under the Indiantown Road bridge along the Intracoastal, south of Harbourside Place.

Organizers describe it as as “coastal country” — a good dose of country, with some pop, rock and a Jimmy Buffett tribute band to round out the mix.

“We’re excited to welcome residents and visitors alike to this uniquely Jupiter experience,” Noel Martinez, chief executive officer of the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce, said in a written statement. “Whether you’re shopping local, enjoying a bite with friends, or soaking in the music, HarbourFest is designed to bring people together and celebrate the best of our town.”

Why is a new music festival coming to Jupiter?

The music festival is expected to breathe new life into Harbourside Place, a retail and restaurant complex which has recently struggled to attract a steady stream of visitors to some of its shops and, two years ago, was the site of tragedy. One man died and four people were injured after suffering electrical shocks in its fountain.

The festival will kick off with a tasting event featuring Harbourside Place restaurants the night before the festival. Tickets for the tastings are $75 and include a one-day pass to the festival.

HarbourFest will take place Oct. 18 through Oct. 19, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. each day. General admission tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the gate. VIP tickets will be $125, and include access to the tasting, one day of the festival and a special VIP area at the festival.

Festival-goers can park at the Harbourside Place parking garages and walk over to the event.

On Oct. 18, Andrew Morris Band plays at 12:30 p.m., MixTape plays at 3 p.m. and Ben Allen plays at 5:30 p.m. On Oct. 19, Caribbean Chillers play at 12:30 p.m., Samantha Russell Band plays at 3 p.m. and Crossfire Creek plays at 5:30 p.m.

HarbourFest will make its debut in the wake of the cancellation of SunFest, which was Palm Beach County’s largest live music event, and a trend of retrenching music festivals nationwide. Still, festival owners say it isn’t meant to be an alternative to SunFest, but a different, Jupiter-focused event.

The festival is expected to return to Jupiter annually.

“With the support of the Town of Jupiter, we’re planning for this to become a long-standing community festival that brings a fresh, fun, and dynamic energy to the area year after year,” wrote a spokesperson for the festival. “It’s about creating a destination event that residents and visitors can look forward to while supporting local businesses and showcasing everything the Jupiter waterfront has to offer.”

More information about HarbourFest is on its website here.

Maya Washburn covers northern Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Reach her at mwashburn@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.