How We’re Curating Our First Festival at WildFlowers Music Park

WildFlowers Music Park’s inaugural festival to be held on March 13-15, 2026, is being created as a celebration of community, creativity, and connection.

From the very beginning, our hope has been to gather people together in a way that feels grounded, welcoming, and true to the land and the many creative voices that call this region home.

This first year is especially close to our hearts. It’s about planting seeds, building relationships, and honoring both our local creative community and our wider festival family that helped inspire this vision.

For Year One, we are placing a strong emphasis on local performers, facilitators, healing artists, and vendors from Melrose, Alachua County, and the surrounding area. Alongside them, we’re inviting a small number of contributors from the broader festival community whose work feels aligned with the spirit of WildFlowers.

Our intention is to create a shared experience - one where discovery, participation, and connection matter more than name recognition.

How Selections Are Made

All performers, facilitators, healing artists, and vendors are chosen with care by a review committee made up of WildFlowers team members and trusted community collaborators.

The committee thoughtfully reviews:

• Submitted applications

• Community nominations

• Originality and creativity

• Prior connections and shared history within the festival world

• Feedback from the local community on what/who they'd like to see at the park

  
  

Rather than moving quickly or filling slots on a first-come basis, we take time to listen, imagine, and curate a weekend that feels balanced, diverse, and nourishing for everyone involved.

What We Consider

Music, Dance & Movement

When inviting performers, we look at:

• The heart and quality of the work

• A wide range of sounds, styles, and cultural expressions

• Music that invites movement and feels danceable

• Balance across stages, times of day, and energy levels

• A mix of emerging local voices and seasoned festival artists

  
  

We’re aiming for a flow that feels alive and inclusive, with space for both discovery and familiarity.

Healing Artists & Workshop Facilitators

Healing artists and facilitators help shape the soul of the festival.

In making selections, we consider:

• Experience, care, and feedback from past participants (when available)

• A variety of healing modalities and offerings

• Willingness to teach, share, and guide participatory experiences

• Availability throughout the festival weekend

• Local ties and proximity

  
  

We’re especially drawn to those who approach their work with generosity, integrity, and a desire to support others.

Vendors & Artisans

Vendors and artisans are chosen with the overall experience in mind, including:

• Alignment with WildFlowers’ values of sustainability, creativity, and community

• Thoughtfulness, originality, and care in what’s being offered

• A healthy balance of food, art, crafts, wellness, and information

• Support for local makers and small businesses

  
  

Our hope is for the vendor area to feel like a gathering place, rather than a marketplace.

A Gentle Note on Capacity & Timing

We’ve been deeply moved by the number of people who’ve reached out and shared their work with us.

Because this is our first festival, and because we’re building intentionally, we simply don’t have the capacity to include everyone we’d love to in Year One.

All applications and nominations are lovingly kept in our database and will be revisited as we plan future festivals, seasonal events, workshops, and gatherings at WildFlowers Music Park.

• Performers will hear back by January 15

• Vendors will hear back by January 31

Not being part of the first festival is not a reflection of the value of your work; we truly see this as the beginning of many shared opportunities.

Growing Something Together

WildFlowers Music Park is being built slowly and with care.

This first festival is just one step in a longer journey, and we’re grateful to everyone who has reached out, applied, nominated someone, or simply cheered us on.

Thank you for being part of this community, and for helping WildFlowers grow.

Should you like to get involved, it's not too late, click here! The Vision for the Inaugural WildFlowers Festival of Music & Dance

Click through and sign up to be considered for specific opportunities.