SunFest Returns to West Palm with Shortened Program for 2023

Touted as Florida’s largest waterfront music and art festival, SunFest is returning to downtown West Palm Beach (along Flagler Drive and the Intracoastal Waterway) for its 39th year, but it’s going to be a bit shorter this spring without Thursday evening hours. Now scheduled for May 5–7, this normally 4-day showcase of local talent alongside national acts is taking its cues from last year’s event — which had lighter attendance following a two-year COVID hiatus.

“Bringing SunFest back to our fans last May after a two-year hiatus was definitely a learning experience,” SunFest executive director Paul Jamieson explained in a statement about the shortened program. He pointed out that customer satisfaction ratings were “the highest we’ve seen in the history of the event” and attributed that mostly to the smaller crowds.

“We’re designing a 2023 festival to reflect what people enjoyed so much about 2022,” Jamieson continued, noting that the festival would feature three days of music across two stages in an effort to “better meet the rising costs of entertainment and virtually everything associated with producing the festival.”

Jamieson said SunFest had evolved a great deal over the four decades since 1982, when it began as a 10-day festival, adding, “We believe that the plan we have for the coming year will give the community the best possible 2023 festival, and that is our top priority.”

Held each year during the first week in May, SunFest attracts more than 85,000 visitors. The festival offers a variety of food purveyors and arts and crafts to go along with the incredible music. The application deadline for 2023 acts is February 3, so there’s still a small window of time to be a part of the show.

“We are so proud to be able to offer our neighbors the opportunity to perform and be involved with SunFest 2023. It is an honor to give these fresh local artists a platform to do what they love and entertain the community that we love,” Jamieson said.

Find tickets at sunfest.com. This year’s lineup will be announced soon.