Fort Lauderdale, Florida. -From Friday, Keith Urban, Luke Combs, Jelly Roll and Shaboozey are only some of the big names that will go on stage on Fort Lauderdale’s beach for the 12th Annual Tortuga Music Festival this weekend.
It’s more than a good time on the sand, because the beach party is to show love for the ocean and intensify to protect it.
They come for music but leave more aware of what we do to our planet, and the urgent need to protect it.
“Here we have 100,000 people during the weekend,” said Chris Stacey, founder and CEO of the Tortuga music festival. “They will literally change their lifestyle and their habits to be better guards in the ocean, just by something they learned here on the beach with us.”
The festival brings some of the biggest names of most of the time, but also rock, pop and hip hop on three stages directly on the sands of the A1A for a party with a goal, inspired by the love of Stacey for the ocean and the passion for conservation.
“The first time I saw a shark or a turtle in the water, I said to myself, it just changed me,” said Stacey. “And then I realized how threatened everything was, and I said to myself, we have to do something.”
A 25 -year -old veteran from the music industry in 2013, Stacey contacted some of his famous friends when he had the big idea of launching a huge music festival on the beach for the benefit of the ocean.
“I remember talking about it at Sheryl Crow, we were literally on a tourist bus and I said to myself:” I think I’m going to do that. You know, would you be interested? And she is like: “I will be there.
Over the past 12 years, more than 350 of the largest music stars have shaken the ocean, collecting millions of dollars. The concert is for lucrative, but part of the product and 100% of all the goods sold go to conservation efforts such as the restoration of coral reefs, the marking of sharks, rescues in sea turtle and cleaning in the ocean.
“We support several different groups at the University of Miami, Nova Southeast, FIU, FAU,” said Stacey. “They come out, tell us which programs we work on, then we push money to activate their causes.”
Not only has Tortuga become one of the biggest country music festivals in the country, but also the most lasting on the planet.
“There is no single -use plastic or plastic authorized on our site,” said Stacey.
The bracelets are made from 50%recycled materials, water is served in recyclable cans and any service wear is made of plant materials and compostable.
“We actually moved to a new cup last year, which is a navy cup, biodegradable and compostable,” said Stacey. “At the end of our festival, we send them all to composting, and they literally turn into the ground.”
All of this is used to make people more aware of the ecological footprint they leave behind.
“Let’s put it on their faces when they do not expect it, and organically and very experimental ways,” said Stacey.
The heart of Tortuga Music Festival, sandwiched between the two scenes, is the village of the conservation of the Rock Ocean, where 32 non -profit organizations will take up space, giving festival lovers a chance to get involved with them, will strengthen each other, and when they leave, hope to become better environmental guards.
“I call it great migration,” said Stacey. “So, each time a big act ends on a stage, tens of thousands of people migrate this way, and they come through this village, and they all stop and everyone gives prices and does fun stuff.”
From the start, Tortuga’s mission was not only to minimize the impact on the environment, but to leave it better than they found it.
“You see these sea oats here? So we have planted more than 30,000 sea oats on this beach since we started making the music festival here,” said Stacey. “You can do something big and fun and always do it in the right way that has no impact on your environment in a horribly negative way.”
The composting of all organic products is also one of the sustainability practices that Tortuga has successfully performed over the years, helping the festival to achieve a diversion of almost 81% of the party’s waste going in the landfill, literally leading the entire event industry.
The objective this year is to reach 90% diversion and reach zero waste.
For more information on this year’s festival, including artists how to get tickets, Click here.
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