Tortuga Music Festival kicks off in Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale Beach
is once again pulsing with the energy of the annual
Tortuga Music Festival
, a three-day event that brings up to 100,000 music lovers to the sand and surf for one of the city's biggest weekends of the year.
From music stars to concertgoers, Day One kicked off to a booming start and for some, getting there was half the fun.
For Jena, Kathy and Leta, Tortuga isn't just a music festival, it's tradition.
The three friends are back for their annual girls' weekend, minus husbands, responsibilities, or the stress of parking.
"We get to not act our age, not hang out with our husbands and husbands aren't allowed to call or talk to us for a few days," laughed Leta Gardella.
They skip the pricey parking and traffic jams by arriving in style on a private boat.
"It's her private boat," Jena said.
"She takes care of us," added Kathy.
"We've got this down to a science," Leta said. "This isn't our first rodeo. I hire a captain to drive my boat."
Patty and her wife Lois, visiting from Lady Lake, won their Tortuga tickets through a radio contest, but it was their travel plan that made them winners in more ways than one.
"We Ubered; we didn't park," Patty said.
"We played it smart. We got a cottage up in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea and we called an Uber," Lois added. "It cost us 20 bucks to get down here."
With limited parking and steep rates, organizers are urging festivalgoers to consider ride-sharing, water taxis, or other creative ways to get to the beach.
Just across the street, Marina Village is benefiting from the Tortuga rush, welcoming those who want the music without the chaos.
"We're getting a lot of people who just want to enjoy the vibe but not be in the environment of a big festival," said manager Sam Escobar.
With its first Tortuga weekend in business, the spot is expecting to ride the wave of the weekend.
"Tortuga's huge. It's a big draw of the year," Escobar said. "We're going to be the official after-party spot, so it's going to be a big boom for us."
Friday's headliners include Jelly Roll and Ludacris. Saturday will feature Keith Urban and Shaboozey, and Sunday closes out with country stars Luke Combs and Megan Moroney.
The party's just getting started and for thousands soaking up the sunshine and sounds, Tortuga is more than a festival. It's a Florida experience.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
3 days ago
- Forbes
Morgan Wallen Continues His Annual Winning Streak
Hip-hop and country are not two styles that are typically associated with one another, although that long-standing gap has been closing over the last several years. There have been a handful of crossover smashes, including 'Old Town Road' by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus and Shaboozey's 'A Bar Song (Tipsy),' that have blended the two styles and performed historically well, with several artists — including those from the rap world — recently recruiting country stars and vice versa. A number of those collaborations have become hits on the Billboard charts, and there's another instance of acts from what were once thought to be completely different areas of the music business working together to create a big win on the rankings at the moment. 'Miami' by Morgan Wallen Debuts on the Rhythmic Airplay Chart Recently, Morgan Wallen released a remix version of his song 'Miami,' originally a solo cut featured on his blockbuster album I'm the Problem. The track is now available as a collaborative take featuring Lil Wayne and Rick Ross. That tune debuted on a number of Billboard lists last week, and as it falls on half a dozen rosters, it manages to launch on one other roster. 'Miami' opens on the Rhythmic Airplay chart this week at No. 24. The Rhythmic Airplay list is one of several tallies published by the company that focus on hip-hop, rap, and R&B, and show the most successful tunes across a variety of slightly different radio formats. Morgan Wallen's Three Rhythmic Airplay Chart Hits Wallen has now scored three career appearances on the Rhythmic Airplay chart. That's a huge sum for a country musician, as the vast majority will never have a tune promoted to the format. He first reached the list in 2023 alongside Lil Durk, as 'Stand by Me' climbed to No. 35. Last summer, 'Whiskey Whiskey,' which is fronted by Moneybagg Yo, spent 17 frames on the Rhythmic Airplay chart, eventually peaking at No. 10 and becoming Wallen's first – and so far only – top 10 on the tally. Now that 'Miami' is present on the list, Wallen has earned a new hit on the Rhythmic Airplay roster in each of the past three years. Lil Wayne and Rick Ross on the Rhythmic Airplay List Unsurprisingly, both Ross and Wayne have performed significantly better than Wallen when it comes to the Rhythmic Airplay chart. Ross has scored 39 career appearances, half a dozen of which have cracked the top 10, and counted among that sum are two leaders. Wayne, meanwhile, passed triple-digit wins some time ago. He has now racked up 44 top 10s and a lucky 13 leaders throughout the decades. 'Miami' Lives Inside the Top 10 In America, 'Miami' — the remix version — is still living inside the top 10 on both the Country Streaming Songs and Hot Country Songs charts, though it dips to Nos. 8 and 9, respectively. The tune falls outside the highest tier on the Streaming Songs tally, dropping from No. 9 to No. 24, while it just barely manages to hold on inside the top 40 on the Hot 100, where it can be found at No. 39. On that roster, 'Miami' has racked up five stays, both as a solo cut and now as a remix, with all three names credited.
UPI
06-08-2025
- UPI
Watch: Jelly Roll sings 'mean tweets' on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'
1 of 5 | Jelly Roll joins Shaboozey on Day 2 of CMA Fest in June. He sang "mean tweets" on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Tuesday. File Photo by Camden Hall/UPI | License Photo Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Jelly Roll sang "Mean Tweets" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Tuesday. The singer, 40, used his last monologue as guest host to introduce the song that included insulting tweets from social media users. "I want to say thank you to Jimmy and his staff. I cannot believe y'all let me in here. I can't believe I was invited. I thought I would have had to break in if I ever made it here," he said. "And most of all, I want to thank my fans. I literally would not be who I am without you. Truly, truly amazing. Truly amazing. Well, most of you." He then said that not everyone is nice. "But you know what? I've never been the one to let my haters get me down. So tonight I'm gonna debut my brand new single," he said. He sang lines like, "I used to hate Jelly Roll. I still do," and "Jelly Roll looks like a meth addict grabbed a microphone." The "Mean Tweets" segment has previously featured stars such as Chris Rock, George Clooney, Tom Hanks and Anne Hathaway. Jelly Roll's album Beautifully Broken arrived in October. He teamed up with Alex Warren for the song "Bloodline," which arrived in May. He has also been nominated for four MTV Video Music Awards. Jelly Roll turns 40: 15 images of the country star Jelly Roll arrives on the red carpet at the CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on November 9, 2022. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Forbes
04-08-2025
- Forbes
Shaboozey Began A Historic Run On The Hot 100 A Year Ago
Shaboozey's breakout hit 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 a little more than one year ago, kicking off what would become one of the longest and most remarkable reigns in chart history. After a short stay at the summit, the cut returned and began a historic run. At the time, 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' already seemed like a surprise smash, but 12 months later, the real story is the cut's staying power. The genre-blending smash is still thriving inside the top 10 on the Hot 100, while simultaneously living toward the top on several other Billboard tallies. What once felt like a fluke has turned into one of the biggest hits of its era. A Rare Country Handoff at No. 1 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' first hit No. 1 on the chart dated July 19, 2024, and at the time, it replaced another country crossover track — Post Malone and Morgan Wallen's 'I Had Some Help.' That handoff was rare enough, as it's uncommon for country cuts to rule, let alone for two to do so back-to-back. The following week, Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us' took over, as it debuted at No. 1. Just one frame later, on the chart dated July 27, Shaboozey was back on top, starting a winning streak that would eventually tie a major Billboard record. Shaboozey Matches a Historic Record By the end of its reign, 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' had racked up 19 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, including 14 stints in the top spot in a row. That tied the all-time record set by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus's 'Old Town Road' in 2019. Like that earlier blockbuster, Shaboozey's hit blurred genre lines, mixing pop, rap, and country into a hybrid sound that resonated with millions of Americans, and which proved remarkably durable. Beyoncé Helped Pave the Way Before 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' exploded, Shaboozey had already caught the attention of the masses as a featured artist on Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter. His contributions to 'Spaghettii' and 'Sweet Honey Buckiin'' introduced his voice to a massive audience and hinted at the potential for a solo breakout. When 'Tipsy' arrived around the time of Cowboy Carter, his pairing rowdy barroom energy with country roots and hip-hop swagger connected instantly. Still a Chart Force a Year Later Now, more than 15 months into its chart run, 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' is still a giant hit. It currently sits at No. 8 on the Hot 100 and remains a top 10 title on several of Billboard's country rankings. What began as an unexpected crossover moment has become one of the most consistent performers in history — and given how it's holding up, Shaboozey's smash may not disappear for months.
