Getting ready for FMF weekend!

I've looked through the schedule to find out which days and where my favorite local bands will be playing. I've googled a handful of artists that are new to me and I am excited to check out several of them. I'm registered for the conference on Saturday and pumped for the long weekend! What is all of this I'm talking about? I’m speaking of Florida Music Festival, 3 days of music and networking fun in downtown Orlando. The festival will showcase about 200 artists at something like 8 or 9 different venues simultaneously (kudos to Axis Magazine for coordinating). From April 7th-April 9th the streets will be buzzing with all sorts of industry, artists and fans. During the day Saturday, keynote speaker Melvin Benn will bestow knowledge upon music biz students and artists looking to get a leg up in the industry. Other notable speakers include Allison Hagendorf, Matt Pinfield, Aaron Ford and Steve Robertson (full list)While there is plenty of homegrown Florida talent, there are unsigned artists traveling from other states and even other countries to take part in the fun and get seen by some of the 25,000 people estimated to be in attendance over the course of the festival. In addition to lesser known indie acts, there are also some notable names that will be gracing the main stage with their swagger. Minus the Bear and Better than Ezra are two of those names I'm looking forward to. Fans can get a 3 day pass for $25 or buy a separate ticket ($10-$15) for the individual days they want to attend. All in all, to be able to wander in and out of a great majority of downtown Orlando bars for one cover and check out that much music in one place has me saying, "yes please!”