On February 18-19, 2023, the first-ever HeartSupport Fest will be making its debut at the Central Florida Fairgrounds in Orlando, FL. The festival is put together by HeartSupport whose mission is to provide love, acceptance, and encourage people to live life with purpose, always moving forward with their mental health struggles. The organization was founded by Jake Luhrs, the vocalist for August Burns Red. He heard stories from fans daily at their performances on their struggles with life, addiction, depression and so much more. He wanted to find a way to help people and support them when they needed it most and HeartSupport was born.
Fast forward years later Jake had the idea to create a festival to support the organization and the HeartSupport Fest was born. Jake said,
“Having the opportunity to host a mission-based music festival with some of my favorite fellow musicians is an absolute dream come true. Our goal with HeartSupport fest is to create a high-energy festival experience and bring the mental health conversation to the forefront of the festival community.”
This festival will help bring more awareness to his HeartSupport organization, but it also brings together a community of metal fans who love the music and provides support for those who need it most. I’ve seen firsthand in this Orlando community how these fans will pick each other up when they are down.
With all this in mind, this is a debut event and I’m sure people may have hesitation about attending a new fest. Two years ago, a large number of fans got burned by a festival in Orlando that was canceled literally an hour before the gate opening. But, there is no doubt in my mind this will be a phenomenal event and I will say a must-attend event for 2023.
First, the two-day event will be held at the Central Florida Fairgrounds not too far from downtown Orlando. The Fairgrounds is host to the Orlando Amphitheater which has a permanent large stage and more than ample room for thousands of attendees. Most festivals use this stage as the main stage and then set up a second stage for band performances. The location also has ample on-site parking and there are hotels within a two to three-mile distance from the venue. The venue also has two-bathroom buildings giving people an option outside of port-a-potties. Those alone are worth entrance to the fest. The venue itself is large enough not to feel overwhelmed with people and yet small enough that you’re not walking miles from stage to stage.
Second, the average temperature in Orlando during February runs about 75 degrees. You couldn’t ask for better festival weather. You’re not freezing while you’re outdoors and not sweating to death either. Also, rain isn’t as common during February as it is during other months. And while we can get some hot days in February, on average it’ll be perfect days for a festival.
Third, Jake Luhrs isn’t going to put his reputation or the reputation of HeartSupport out there for this festival to fail. He’s looking at this for the festival to succeed not just for HeartSupport, but for all the fans attending. And if this one goes over well, hopefully, we’ll see this fest return for many years in the future.
And last, but certainly not least, the lineup. This fest is stacked with talent from top to bottom. On Saturday you have bands like He Is Legend who always provides an energetic live performance. You have the metalcore vibe between bands Currents, The Devil Wears Prada, Memphis May Fire, and of course Jake’s own band August Burns Red. Before the headliner, you have Dance Gavin Dance and Tampa’s own Underoath who is sure to rock the crowd. And, honestly, the band the U.S. has been waiting to return, Australia’s Parkway Drive will close out Saturday night and they are sure to blow the crowd away. And if we’re lucky, they’ll bring their spectacular pyro show with them to Orlando.
On Sunday, you have the metalcore sound of Silent Planet, who has been making themselves well-known last year while on tour. The rock duo ’68 is sure to get the crowd moving with their high-energy performance. Personally, you couldn’t find a better trio of bands to add with Hawthorne Heights, Senses Fail, and Silverstein filling out the afternoon. But, the last three bands of the night are absolutely amazing. Spiritbox has made a huge name for themselves and has become a massive draw at festivals and that Sunday will be no different. And then you have the metalcore giants in The Ghost Inside who have been performing at festivals more frequently. And capping off the night is the legendary Rise Against who always delivers during their live performances.
HeartSupport Fest is going to deliver two fantastic days of metal and rock and attendees will remember every minute to say they were there. If you want to be there, you can purchase your tickets over at https://www.heartsupportfest.com/tickets. Don’t miss out on this fest!
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