Key West Now Offering Two Consecutive Country Music Festivals
Poised to celebrate its 6th year bringing Red Dirt, Texas Country, and Americana music to the southernmost point in the United States, Mile 0 Fest in Key West, Florida will transpire January 24th thru 28th in 2023, with a healthy cross section of the top artists of the Texas/Red Dirt realm such as the Randy Rogers Band and Wade Bowen, some of the best songwriters in the business such as Jason Eady, Adam Hood, and John Fullbright, and some of the names that have become synonymous with Mile 0 Fest like Jamie Lin Wilson, Courtney Patton, and Mike & the Moonpies.
Not just a music festival, but a full-bodied experience in the Florida Keys with opportunities to see musical performances in a host of different unique settings such as Key West’s legendary Sunset Pier, to the beach at the southernmost point that only 90 miles away from Cuba, to the big evening amphitheater shows with to ocean just off in the distance, Mile 0 Fest is a memory maker for sure.
A few may quibble with the “sameness” of the 2023 lineup, or that some of the big headliners from previous years are not returning. But as a 4,000-capacity festival, artists like the Turnpike Troubadours and Cody Jinks who’ve now blown up to headline 20,000-capacity festivals will be hard to swing. Meanwhile, acts such as Shane Smith and the Saints and Mike and the Moonpies have graduated to headliner status, while artists like Kaitlin Butts and The Red Clay Strays are coming up to take the place of mid-level acts.
There are also some fresh names on the 2023 lineup such as Jesse Daniel, and Sunny Sweeney is returning after a few years off, while a host of names are yet to be announced. Mile 0 Fest always offers a good opportunity to discover your next favorite artist.
Platinum and Gold packages for the fest have already sold out, and it’s likely the other levels of tickets will get scarfed up as well. Mile 0 Fest is not easy to cheap to get to, but it’s the musical experience of a lifetime. For more information, visit mile0fest.com .
But if the Mile 0 Fest lineup doesn’t exactly suit your fancy, you just can’t get free that particular week, or perhaps one week in Key West isn’t enough for you and you want to double up, you actually have a second option now if you want to experience country music in the Florida Keys.
From the same owners as Mile 0 Fest, they have launched a new festival for 2023 happening the week after Mile 0 Fest called Key Western Fest. Featuring a more dedicated lineup of country music legends with a focus on the 90s, it will feature artists such as Clint Black, The Oak Ridge Boys, Sammy Kershaw, Pam Tillis, Mark Chesnutt and many more who will take the stage for the inaugural festival between January 31st and February 4th.
“We’ve invited some of the greatest artists from a generation of country music whose hits have shaped many people’s early lives, myself included,” says Kyle Carter of Oh Wook Productions. “For those of us who have been belting these classic songs out in the car on the way to work for twenty years, getting to see a couple dozen artists during an entire week of festivities on a 2’x4’ mile island in a tropical setting in January is truly a dream come true.”
As 90s country and older country in general continues to swell in popularity as people look for alternatives to today’s popular country music, this festival could become an annual ritual for some similar to Mile 0 Fest. Tickets go on sale Thursday, August 4th. For more information, visit keywesternfest.com .
August 3, 2022 @ 9:45 am
The Legends of Music Row festival in Key West in October has some huge names, like George Strait, Ronnie Dunn, Jamey Johnson, Dean Dillon, etc .
August 3, 2022 @ 9:59 am
Gonna have an article on that coming up, but just to clarify, George Strait is not playing a set, he’s appearing “for a few songs” with Jamey Johnson. Should still be a cool moment.
August 3, 2022 @ 10:19 am
Thanks! I didn’t know much about it, since I’m not planning to visit Key West, but I saw an ad for it on social media.
August 4, 2022 @ 10:30 am
That will be awesome!
August 3, 2022 @ 10:25 am
What a pleasant surprise! Trigger, based on your experience with Mile 0 Fest, how long would you expect the sets to be for Key Western Fest? It appears to only be one stage, and if those are all of the artists that will be there, you’d think the four-day span would allow for 60-minute sets.
August 3, 2022 @ 10:39 am
We really won’t know until we see a schedule, but I do expect the Key Western Fest to be more of a one stage festival centering around the Coffee Butler Amphitheater as opposed to a multi-stage event across the island like Mile 0 Fest, though it may have some other stuff in other locations, including the pre-party on Tuesday they’re saying will be held at a different location. I would expect the sets to be at least an hour long, or 45 minutes, with the headliners playing longer. Never had an issue with Mile 0 Fest’s set lengths. It’s Born & Raised in Oklahoma that will give some folks just 30 minutes that feels like you’re getting short changed.
August 3, 2022 @ 11:02 am
I saw Suzy Bogguss and Mark Chestnut open for Sawyer Brown when I was about 5 years old in 1990.
August 3, 2022 @ 4:05 pm
Id like to go to Mile 0 Fest. Beyond obvious reasons, like great music and Key West itself, there’s Jamie Lin Wilson’s cover of You’re No Good from a few years back that I jam to on YouTube, which I guess also falls under great music…I’d also consider going to Americana Fest again (they need to do a screening of the movie Nashville but Rocky Horror Picture Show style…I’d come in character as Haven Hamilton). Id also love to do the Americana cruise one year. Can’t do them all though, at least not in one 12 month period.
Part of this is to say that, while your coverage of these things is great and informative as is, I personally wouldn’t mind more info for people interested in going to these things.
August 3, 2022 @ 4:26 pm
If you’re asking for more information about what you can expect specifically from the event, I would encourage you to check out some of my recaps over the years of the fest. Didn’t attend in 2022, but a 2021 one can be found here:
https://savingcountrymusic.com/nobody-puts-mike-moonpie-in-a-corner-mile-0-fest-2021-recap/
As for logistics for where to stay, prices, etc., the best thing to do is go to the website and call the number where they have a company that helps fix people up with packages that include hotel, etc.
August 3, 2022 @ 5:51 pm
Most festivals have a fan page on Facebook now run by a person in the know or who can steer you in the proper direction of any question you may have. I still run one for jamboree in the hills even though it’s been defunct since 2018 thanks to live nation.
August 3, 2022 @ 5:56 pm
Meant to mention that. Mile 0 Fest has a great Facebook where you can answer questions, get advice, etc.
https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=mile%200%20fest%20key%20west%20fans
August 3, 2022 @ 4:11 pm
Talking as someone who has not been to Key West, just an observation. Seems to be a lot of music festivals in Key West. A tiny place, small population, and hard to get to quickly or easily. Also, accommodations are limited and INSANELY expensive. So, why does there seem to be an obsession with putting music festivals on down there? 3 Country festivals alone, for that small a place is a LOT! Not being critical, just trying to understand. If you are paying $400-$500 a night to stay there x 3 or 4 days, plus food, and travel expense to get there; many folks no doubt fly and rent a car. Thats gonna add up quick to a $4000 or more trip for less than a week. Are these fests by design, to weed out the non-wealthy? Don’t get me wrong that second festival with all the Classic Country artists looks amazing, but man would it be costly to do.
August 3, 2022 @ 4:32 pm
Definitely an expensive place to be and get to. The reason more festivals are popping up is because a few years ago, they opened a new amphitheater there, and are trying to set up regular festivals there to encourage people to come to the island. These are destination festivals, and though it is expensive and hard to get to, it’s even worse for the ones The Avett Bros., Brandi Carlisle, and others are doing in Mexico and the Caribbean. Still, it’s definitely not for everyone.
Key West is actually a significant location on the country music map, and I don’t mean Jimmy Buffet. David Allan Coe and Jerry Jeff Walker both spent significant time there, and Shel Silverstein lived there his whole life. This made Key West a songwriter destination, and it also houses the Key West Songwriters Festival, which has been happening for over 25 years. Key West has been a retreat for country songwriters for decades, and these events are trying to piggy back off that legacy, while also giving Texas/Red Dirt artists an enclave in Florida to help expand the movement.
August 4, 2022 @ 12:42 am
whoever complains about these lineups or their sameness clearly never lived in Italy..
August 4, 2022 @ 1:23 pm
Kevin,
Living in WI, I have gladly payed the past 5 years to be in Key West in January. Other than than the April date in 2021 (moved from January due to Covid), the festival generally has been packed. January 2022 was the most crowded it has been so people are willing to pay, I guess. It is a great time. If you can go, I highly recommend it.
August 5, 2022 @ 1:56 pm
I went to the Mile 0 Fest in April 2021 and enjoyed it a lot.
The fancy packages sell out early.
I have been to Key West 55-60 times, so it’s like a second home to me.
I may check hotel prices over the weekend for the Mile O Fest dates. My wife won’t be with me, so I don’t care where I stay (presumably in the middle of the island).
Thanks for the heads up on both of these festivals, Trig.
December 27, 2022 @ 12:22 am
Hello
I am Jamaican food vendor and interested to become in this year’s event please.
December 27, 2022 @ 8:29 am
Try reaching out to the production company, Oh Wook Productions directly, based in Key West.