The 2nd Annual Orange Beach Freedom Festival will be held on Friday, Sept. 30 to Sunday, Oct. 2. It will be a true, down-home celebration of America with a car show, concerts, special speakers, arts & crafts, children's activities, food... just an All-American red, white and blue weekend in Orange Beach.
The three-day weekend will be capped off on Sunday, October 2 with a benefit concert at the Amphitheater headlined by John Rich of Big & Rich.
Tickets for the Freedom Fest Concert with John Rich are on sale now via Ticketmaster.
Tickets start at $20 and go up to $35, plus fees. Proceeds from the concert will benefit Folds of Honor, a nonprofit that helps provide families of fallen and disabled service members with educational scholarships.
The Oct 2 show will start at 1 p.m. with two patriotic speakers - Ben Walborn, former U.S. Navy Blue Angel, followed by Kevin Lacz, retired U.S. Navy Seal who served with "American Sniper" Chris Kyle and is the author of "The Last Punisher." The music will begin at 1:30 p.m. with local country rock artist Bruce Smelley, and then John Rich will close out the festival weekend.
Tickets are also available at the Wharf Ticket Office in person during business hours: Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and the day of the event, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Mark your calendar as the planned schedule for Friday, Sept. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. will include arts & crafts and food vendors, entertainment, children's activities and the fall edition of Bama Coast Cruisin'. ZZ Top and Jeff Beck will be playing at the Amphitheater on Friday, Sept. 30th as part of the C Spire Concert Series. Find ticket information on The Wharf Amphitheater website.
The Friday and Saturday entertainment lineup includes the following live music on the stage on the arts and crafts side of the festival:
Friday, September 30
9 a.m. to 11 a.m. - Tony Brook
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Dew Pendleton
1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m - Christina Christian
4 p.m. to 5 p.m. - The Krickets
Saturday, October 1
9 a.m. to 11 a.m. - David Chastang
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Al and Cathy
1 p.m. to 3 p.m. - Charlie Argo
3 p.m. to 5 p.m. - Johnny Hayes
Friday and Saturday will be full of arts and crafts vendors selling a wide variety of wares, including metal artwork, nautical-themed décor, yard art, wooden signs, glass, pottery, jewelry, watercolor art, boutique-style clothing, and patriotic art. A variety of military groups and non-profit organizations will be in attendance.
On Saturday only, The Marshals will hold the 2nd Annual Let Freedom Roar Run and Rally with a motorcycle and Jeep parade around noon, benefitting Youth Reach Gulf Coast. The Marshal group will stage in the Event Center parking lot and in the marina parking lot and lawn.
The food selection will be one of the best at recent festivals. In addition to the restaurants at The Wharf, festival-goers will have their hands full with barbeque ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, burgers, Cajun pistols, gumbo, shrimp po-boys, grilled mahi, philly cheese steak, crawfish, oysters, and grouper tacos, among many other selections. Some of the specialty foods will include Hawaiian shaved ice, ice cream, kettle corn, smoothies, boiled shrimp, lemonade and beer, provided by the Makos Academics, Arts and Athletics Club as a fundraiser.
A Kids' Zone with bouncy houses and other fun activities will be available by the Ferris wheel at The Grove on Main Street. The Orange Beach Police Department is organizing the children's area.
Adding Bama Coast Cruisin' car show, ZZ Top and Jeff Beck, and the Sunday benefit concert with John Rich to the patriotic weekend mix, it will most certainly be an unforgettable festival at The Wharf.
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