North Beach Music Festival Returns in December for a Second Year

The North Beach Music Festival will return to Miami Beach for its second year in December, event organizers announced on Tuesday.

Produced by local independent concert promoter GMP Live in partnership with the Rhythm Foundation, this year’s iteration of the jam band-friendly festival will again take place at the outdoor Miami Beach Bandshell (formerly North Beach Bandshell) and its adjacent park December 9-11.

The artist lineup for the festival’s second year features headliners Moe. (Friday), Lotus (Saturday), and Lettuce (Sunday), in addition to an eclectic mix of national touring artists, including progressive-jam quartet Dopapod, Brooklyn-based Afrobeat collective Antibalas, young guitarist extraordinaire Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, ’80s synthwave-inspired rock group Doom Flamingo, and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe.

Other notable acts scheduled to perform during the 2022 event — which expands to three days this year from two in 2021 — include Cool Cool Cool (a new group made up of seven former members of Turkuaz) and Trouble No More (a collaboration of seasoned pros that pays tribute to the Allman Brothers Band).

The event is produced by twin brothers and concert industry veterans Gideon and Noah Plotnicki, who launched the inaugural festival last winter with the mission of attracting the small but growing number of jam and funk music fans around South Florida.

“Our first year of the North Beach Music Festival laid the foundation for something really special,” Gideon tells New Times. “We’re thrilled to be back for year two to build on that foundation in Miami Beach with a diverse lineup full of incredible artists.”

Gideon has been promoting shows at the Miami Beach Bandshell under his GMP Live banner since 2019 after relocating to Miami from New York City, where he still produces concerts, including the jam-heavy Brooklyn Comes Alive. His brother Noah is still based in New York.

“Because there's never been a jam festival like this in Miami, at least that we could find, it creates an amazing opportunity to be a first-mover in that way,” Noah told New Times ahead of the 2021 event. “Particularly since Miami in the wintertime is one of the few places in the country where you can have an outdoor music festival."

Similar to last year, the Plotnicki brothers hope their young festival will highlight some of the premier musical talent emerging from South Florida, with soul/funk outfit Lemon City Trio, jamtronica band Guavatron, and Miami’s own Afrobeta also featured on the lineup.

"South Florida, in general, has been starved for an event like this for far too long,” Gideon added in a press statement. “We are more than happy to plant our flag as the home of jam bands, funk music, and beyond in the region. We are proud to feature a lineup with such a dynamic cross-section of what this corner of the live music community is all about.”

Tuesday’s announcement also noted more than half of the performances scheduled to take place on the Bandshell main stage and in Bandshell Park throughout the weekend will last 75 minutes or longer, in hopes of providing attendees as much music for their money as possible.

Presale tickets go on sale Thursday, July 14, at 1 p.m. General on-sale will follow on Friday, July 15, at 1 p.m. Fans can sign up for presale registration at northbeachmusicfestival.com.

North Beach Music Festival. Friday, December 9, through Sunday, December 11, at Miami Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 305-672-5202; northbeachbandshell.com. Tickets cost $160 to $255.