Smooth jazz and white sand beaches create an
exciting "jazz getaway" in Panama City Beach, Fl set for April 22-26th
featuring over 20 performances for the "Ultimate Weekend of Smooth Jazz"
Northwest Florida's stunning beaches and natural setting is paired
with Grammy winners George Benson, David Sanborn, and Al Jarreau as the
17th Annual Seabreeze Jazz Festival® returns to Panama City Beach,
Florida April 22-26th. The event has become an annual celebration for
jazz-minded adults where the allure of great beaches, exciting shopping,
and world-class restaurants all combine for a true vacation getaway.
Panama City Beach provides the perfect backdrop for the “ultimate”
jazz beach weekend with the festival attracting attendees from 42 U.S.
states and over seven countries, plus also being named “Top 10 Jazz
Festival in the USA” by JazzIZ Magazine. Smooth jazz blowing gently in
the coastal breezes is just one unique feature at one of the nation’s
fastest growing “destination music festivals” on the Gulf Coast.
Artists to perform include Grammy winners George Benson, David
Sanborn, and Al Jarreau – along with renowned musicians Brian
Culbertson, The Rippingtons featuring Russ Freeman, Euge Groove, BwB
featuring Norman Brown, Kirk Whalum, and Rick Braun, Down To The Bone,
The Sax Pack featuring Jeff Kashiwa, Steve Cole, and Kim Waters, Mindi
Abair and the Boneshakers, Ken Ford, Acoustic Alchemy, Jazz Funk Soul
featuring Chuck Loeb, Jeff Lorber, and Everette Harp, Chris Standring,
Eric Darius, Four 80 East, Matt Marshak, Marcus Anderson, Josh Vietti,
The Urban Jazz Coalition featuring Althea Rene, Rob Tardik, and
Seabreeze Rising Star performer Ryan Montano.
Main performances will take place at the Aaron Beasant Park
Amphitheater adjacent to Pier Park, with nightly After-Party All-Star
Jam Shows at two venues at adjacent Pier Park. To further showcase the
beauty of Panama City Beach, a Dinner and Lunch Smooth Jazz Cruise
aboard “The Solaris” Dinner Yacht is set departing the Lighthouse Marina
cruising picturesque St.Andrews Bay—each with a live jazz performance
on board.
Smooth Jazz fans have a unique and intimate connection to the
festival’s music and core artists base. The “smooth jazz lifestyle” is
the secret to the success of The Seabreeze Jazz Festival® where the R
& B based smooth contemporary jazz literally creates a synergy for
the whole weekend. The licks of the funky bass lines and pop-friendly
musical hooks keep the crowds moving to the beat, almost like the tempo
of the swaying palm trees around beautiful Aaron Beasant Park
Amphitheater at Pier Park.
Smooth jazz is the epitome of “The Good Life”; laid back yet upscale
at the same time, relaxing and familiar as a pair of your most
comfortable beach sandals. The audience consists of upscale
college-educated professional adults, primarily 35-55 years old with
high amounts of discretionary income. Some economists call this very
desirable demographic group “The Alpha Baby Boomers” –attributing to
the $14.2 million impact that the Seabreeze Jazz Festival® generates in
the Northwest Florida economy.
The event hosts close to 28,000 for the weekend, with a large
percentage of fans traveling hundreds if not thousands of miles away to
attend. 60% of the festival’s tickets are sold outside the State of
Florida, making it a true destination festival for the region. The
alluring appeal of Pier Park and the new resort-style architecture along
with west end of Panama City Beach beckons even the most cosmopolitan
city-dweller to join in on the fun, and get their toes in the sands.
“We are thrilled to partner, once again, with festival founders, Mark
and Renee’ Carter and to sponsor this exciting event,” said Lino
Maldonado, vice president of operations, Wyndham Vacation Rentals, Gulf
Region—Presenting Sponsor of the event. “The Seabreeze Jazz Festival®
continues to attract an international audience attended by guests from
42 states and 7 countries to Northwest Florida’s white sand beaches for
the ultimate weekend of music. Our multi-year sponsorship agreement for
the Seabreeze Jazz Festival® demonstrates our commitment to
strengthening tourism in Panama City Beach and across Northwest
Florida’s Gulf Coast.”
The venue's location is adjacent to Pier Park (a Simon Mall property)
sporting over 160 retail stores, a 16-screen stadium-seating cinema,
numerous eateries, nightclubs, even a small amusement park to pacify all
of the family’s pastimes. The newly completed City Pier across the
street from the festival stage and miles of white-sand beaches also
provides a nearby escape from the live entertainment. That is, if you
muster up enough to pull away from the star-studded contemporary jazz
lineup.
The Seabreeze Jazz Festival® will make history in 2015 as the first
event on the Gulf Coast to implement a new innovative RFID armband
system from Intellitix for both entry and all festival purchases,
essentially making the entire event both “ticketless” and “cashless”.
In 2014, over 40 events in 10 countries have used this exciting new
system. Fast Company Magazine recently named Intellitix as one of the
“Top 10 Most Innovative Companies” for live events in 2014.
For the Seabreeze Jazz Festival, this new technology will take on a
jazz theme as festival organizers will be calling the special wristbands
“JazzBands”. The embedded RFID chip inside will not only act as the
patron’s ticket for entry, but also their wallet for all purchases
inside the venue. Attendees can either “load” funds via their credit
card in advance of the event online, or on site with credit or cash at
several jazz festival “Top Up” stations throughout the event. All it
takes is a quick swipe for any purchase in front of a tablet-size
screen, and fans are back to the music and smooth jazz fun, with easy
access to their “JazzBand” account via their smartphone. Intellitix’s
exciting new RFID armband system dramatically reduces time spent at
entry gates as well as in queue lines for merchandise, food, and
beverages. Any unspent funds on the wristbands are refunded back to the
user’s credit card immediately following the event.
Beginning April 9th, jazz festival attendees can preload their "JazzBands" online via
http://www.jazzbands.com and receive $5 of complimentary" JazzBucks" for every $100 pre-loaded before April 22nd.
Tickets are available for single and multi-day admission. Thursday
only tickets are $90 each, Friday only tickets are $100 each, Saturday
only tickets are $120 each, and Sunday only tickets are $100 each.
Patrons save money on multi-day tickets with a Weekend Pass good for
Friday-Sunday priced at $200, and the all-inclusive Four Day Pass $250
each for all performances Thursday through Sunday at the main stage.
In addition, a new reserved section called Gold Reserve is available
for 2015. Gold Reserved seating includes on-site parking, early entry,
fixed reserved seating behind the VIP section, dedicated air-conditioned
restrooms, and four beverages per day. The Four Day Gold Reserve
ticket is $450 each and limited. VIP Tickets and VIP Tables sold out
for the event last summer.
In addition, tickets for nightly All-Star After Party Jam Shows, a
dinner and lunch cruise, as well as a special Sax Pack CD Release Party
are available online and limited.
To celebrate the conclusion of the jazz festival and to cap off the
weekend of stellar entertainment, an All-Star After-Party Jam Show will
be held on Sunday, April 26th beginning at 10:30pm at Jimmy Buffet’s
Margaritaville at Pier Park hosted by Four 80 East, Matt Marshak, Marcus
Anderson and special guests. Admission is no charge and open to the
public, with a full restaurant menu and bar available.
Seabreeze Jazz Festival® tickets are available by phone at 800-595-4849 or online at
http://www.seabreezejazzfestival.com.
In addition, several local outlets offer single day and multi-day passes.
Panama City Beach: Florida House Fashions and Pompano Joe’s at Pier Park (cash and credit cards)
Destin: ResortQuest Sales Office –Highway 98 across from Bass Pro Shops (cash and credit cards)
Ft. Walton Beach: Playground Music Center – Eglin Parkway at Uptown Station (cash only)
Pensacola: Deluna Coffee Company –across from Pensacola State College (cash only)
Tickets with a military discount are available at the Tickets and
Travel/MWR Offices at Tyndall Air Force Base, Panama City NSA, Eglin Air
Force Base, The Pensacola Naval Air Station, and Fort Rucker.
The Seabreeze Jazz Festival® is again offering a complimentary
Four-Day Pass (a $250 value) for each good used band instrument donated
to the L.I.N.K.S. of Northwest Florida program. “Lonely Instruments for
Needy Kids” is a local non-profit organization that takes previously
used band instruments, provides the needed repairs, and then put them
into the hands of needy kids whose families usually wouldn't be able to
participate in local elementary, middle, or high school band. Last
year, over 100 instruments were donated in return for jazz festival
tickets and put into the hands of deserving music students in Northwest
Florida. Playground Music Center in Ft. Walton Beach is collecting all
the band instruments for the program. For more information, contact
Tony Leonard at (850)-243-2514.
Special hotel accommodation packages are also available through the
festival's supportive hotel sponsors. Presenting Sponsor and featured
festival accommodations partner ResortQuest® By Wyndham Vacation Rentals
is offering 10% off along with complimetary shuttle service from select
Panama City Beach properties. Call 855-990-0087 and use group code
“JAZ5” for reservations or see the entire listing of hotels and special
offers
For a complete lineup, tickets, and schedule information go online to
seabreezejazzfestival.com or check the weekly updates on Facebook.
General Admission seating is lawn seating so attendees need to bring a
lawn chair or a blanket as event is festival seating. No coolers,
outside food, or liquids allowed. An expanded food court area will be
offered featuring a wide variety of food vendors including gourmet food
trucks from all over the southeast. Bring an empty water or sports
bottle for complimentary water inside the venue. Bottled water will be
on sale inside the venue for $1 a bottle. A cash bar will be available
inside the venue for beer and wine sales. See the website for a
complete list of rules and additional restrictions.
The 2015 Seabreeze Jazz Festival® presented by ResortQuest® by
Wyndham Vacation Rentals. Other sponsors include The Panama City Beach
Visitor's and Convention Bureau, Pier Park, JazzRadio.com, Knology,
Viamedia, Sterling Resorts, Counts-Oaks Resort Properties, Lake Town
Wharf, Royal American Beach Getaways, The Panama City News Herald, The
Northwest Florida Daily News, Epiphone Guitars, SoWal.com, Concord
Music Group, and WSBZ Radio The Seabreeze 106.3FM.
Another Seabreeze Radio Smooth Jazz Concert Event.
GRAMMY® is a registered trademark of National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Inc.
Jazziz® is a registered trademark of The Jazziz Magazine, Inc.
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