Downtown Pensacola Hosts the Second-Annual Hollow World Music Fest
Pensacola's music scene is thriving, and the Hollow World Music Festival is here to showcase it. Curated by Zach Huot, this festival brings together top local bands for a day of performances on big stages, along with artist booths and live painting.
“[The Pensacola music scene] in the past few years has definitely been in a renaissance moment where there’s so many new bands popping up. [...] The scene is in a really really good spot right now, and part of creating the festival was because I had noticed there are so many good bands around here now, I want to play a show with all of these people at the same time!” remarked Zach Huot, singer and guitarist for psychedelic rock band Cavae Mundi as well as mastermind behind the Hollow World Music Festival.
Pensacola’s music scene is surging with talent, there’s no doubt about it. With such a vast range of incredible bands in the area, it only makes sense for there to be a festival to showcase a taste of the coastal scene, and the annual Hollow World Music Festival aims to do just that. On a humid afternoon at a bustling Jitterbug cafe, I sat down with Zach Huot to get a glimpse into the motivation and creative decisions behind the festival’s second iteration.
Overall, Hollow World’s driving force appears to be the desire to deliver a curated collection of indie and alternative acts, but Huot further exemplified the supportive nature of the festival by noting the intentionality behind the festival’s lineup.
“Every band that’s on the lineup I’ve seen, they’re awesome. If I’m super excited about a show, I put them on the Hollow World list. And they’re all really cool people too, it’s people I’m friends with or we’ve worked together before.” - Zach Huot
This year's festival lineup is made up of ten iconic artists/bands: Cavae Mundi, Migraine, John Hart, No Complications, Feed Lemon, About to Sweat, Honey Daze, Rufus McBlack, Aumua, and Tori Lucia.
The Hollow World Music Festival isn’t simply a celebration of the Pensacola area’s thriving music community, though; it also acts as a way for the community to exhibit the gifted lineup with a larger-than-life presentation. There is no shortage of incredible stages in Pensacola, but more often than not, the Hollow World artists are found in more personal settings such as the Handlebar and Subculture. Huot notes that the festival’s location is just as intentional as the lineup, commenting,
“The bigger stages in Pensacola I feel like are always reserved for cover bands or bigger artists, but I feel like everybody should deserve to play on a stage like that.” - Zach Huot
Hollow World Music Festival gives its musicians an opportunity to play for their community in a medium you don't typically find in Pensacola, while also giving the audience an opportunity to similarly see their favorite bands in a way they rarely get to see. For both the performers and the festival-goers, Hollow World will act as a way to deliver the Pensacola scene flashy, exhilarating performances only large-scale stages can provide.
Just like last year’s event, Hollow World will also showcase other forms of art, such as artist booths and live painting. Whether you’re in the mood to camp out in front of the Museum Plaza stage or wander the festival grounds, you’ll always have some sort of exhibit or act to enjoy.
If you’re in the Pensacola area and are interested in not only supporting the music scene, but the art scene and its culture as a whole, the Hollow World Music Festival is meant for you.
The festival will be held at Museum Plaza on September 21, beginning at noon and ending at 11 PM. I hope to see you there!
Additional information can be found on the festival's Facebook page.
