Five reasons we're excited about Big Guava Music Festival

For Florida residents, music-festival season is less of an exciting time to carefully plot your summer music schedule and more of an exercise in emotional strength. For the masochistically inclined, it’s a time to pore over the drool-inducing lineups at huge national festivals and wish there was just one that didn’t require a financial advisor and a travel agent to pull off.

The recent lineup announcement of the inaugural Big Guava Music Festival, which takes place May 2 to May 4 in Tampa was a game-changer for Sarasota music lovers. Outkast? Vampire Weekend? Haim? Here?? The reasonably priced $99 early-bird tickets sold out in 15 minutes — an indication of the excitement surrounding the news, and we couldn’t agree more. Here's why we’re so jazzed about Big Guava:

1. Um … Outkast: What’s cooler than being cool? Outkast’s reunion, obviously — well, that and being ice cold. If these two ATLiens headlining Big Guava isn’t reason enough to be excited about this festival, we’re not sure what is. Hip-hop fans have been waiting years for the ever-funky partners in crime, Luscious Leftfoot and Three-Stacks, to get back together, and their recent announcement comes just in time for the duo’s 20^th anniversary (whoa … ). In addition to practically every other summer festival, Big Guava’s lineup announcement revealed them as the headlining act right here in our own backyard, and we think that’s pretty cool. Cooler than Freddie Jackson sippin’ a milkshake in a snowstorm? Probably.

   

2. Finally, a big-name, non-EDM festival in Florida: No offense, we love electronic music, but Ultra appeals to a very niche audience, and three days of it is a big commitment for a casual fan. Plus, how long can you really listen to people talk about PLUR? Florida doesn’t have the best track record with its festivals, but we’re hoping Guava will stick. With acts like Vampire Weekend, Foster the People, Haim and Earl Sweatshirt, there’s something for almost any music fan.

   

3. A step in the right direction: When festival season rolls around, it’s no fun drooling over the amazing lineups at festivals all around the country and realizing that it’s all out of reach here on the Gulf Coast. Big Guava is a huge opportunity for central Florida, and we’re hoping it will continue to draw more big names to the area.

   

4. It’s in May: Okay, May in Tampa isn’t exactly cool weather, but it’s not the life-sucking, sweltering blaze it would be if it were held in August. There will be plenty of chances to get some sun while enjoying the music. “Sun’s out, guns out” won't be so much a suggestion as it will be a requirement.

   

5. No road-trip required: Although plenty of people are willing and able to make the pilgrimage to festival Meccas, such as Bonnaroo, Coachella, South by Southwest, Austin City Limits, or even Hangout, it’s not an option for everyone. Tampa is only about an hour away from Sarasota, making your post-festival drive home significantly less hellish.