Tropical Heatwave 2013

Tropical Heatwave is an eclectic music festival held in Ybor City, Tampa’s entertainment district. The Festival features over 60 bands performing on 10 stages, both outdoor and indoor. This year’s festival will be held on May 11th, 2013. The festival is organized by WMNF Radio, an independent 70,000 watt community radio station. A minimum of 5 Sonicbids bands will be selected to perform.

Tropical Heatwave features all sorts of music, with an emphasis on live artists who express strong musicianship, high energy, showmanship, a sense of fun, and visual appeal. Heatwave features many national artists, with a strong focus on showcasing exciting emerging artists from outside and inside the Tampa area.

Heatwave is held in venues ranging in capacity from 200 – 2,000. All music venues are in close proximity to each other, allowing festival-goers to stroll from venue to venue.

Artists selected for Heatwave must have a radio-ready CD. Once you are selected for Heatwave, your music will be featured in rotation on WMNF in the weeks and months before the event in order to create a buzz of anticipation. Selected artists will be compensated for their performance. Lodging (for out of town bands) and food will also be provided.

Past performers include Cracker, Dick Dale, Bo Diddley, Better Than Ezra, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Buckwheat Zydeco, James McMurtry, Louie Vega, Alejandro Escovedo, The Holmes Brothers, Kinky, Marcia Ball, Paul Thorn, Grupo Fantasma, The Subdudes, Dave Alvin and the Guilty Men, and more.

Previous Sonicbids artists chosen to perform include Flat Earth Society, The Beauvilles, Julie Black, Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso, Before Dawn, Rebekah Pulley, Atlas Soul, Blue Vipers, Baye Kouyate, and more.