Planetfest


Planetfest was a music festival staged yearly by what used to be WPLA Planet Radio 107.3 in Jacksonville, Florida at Metropolitan Park. It was started in 1999 and, with the exception of 2001, has continued every year since then. The show is known for its relatively low ticket prices for the large number of national and local bands. The event featured some of the biggest names in indie rock and attendance has grown each year.
For WPLA's 10th anniversary in 2005, the station held a "Mutha Shuckin' Birthday" in the Spring at the Expo Center of the Jacksonville Fairgrounds instead of Metropolitan Park.

Setup

Planetfest is a music festival with two stages for the performing musicians. The Main Stage is where the featured performers play 45-60+ minute sets with 30 minute breaks between acts for stage preparation and breakdown.
A smaller stage, called the JackRabbits Stage, is named after the local venue where a Battle of the Bands competition is held to select the local bands that will play at the festival. In 2008, that contest was scheduled to occur between September 21 and October 12. The top nine acts perform 30-45 minute sets at Planetfest.

Current status

In 2010, there was no scheduled concert. The sponsoring radio station, Planet Radio 107.3, switched formats and discontinued sponsorship. There has been talk of starting another music festival with a different station but nothing definitive. However, Planet Radio would be terminated in August thus ending Planetfest forever. In 2011, Planetfest was replaced with "Welcome to Rockville" and has been held annually, hosting some of the biggest names in rock.

Previous festivals

Planetfest 10