Many of us are half packed up and ready for Purple Hatter’s Ball 2018 this upcoming weekend. The annual event takes place Friday, June 1st and Saturday, June 2nd at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park.
View the lineup & schedule here
Purchase tickets here
If you haven’t made plans yet to join us at the event, we have 5 reasons why you just cannot miss this year’s festival. And you are set on coming, here’s what you can expect:
1. The Cause: Honoring Rachel Morningstar Hoffman & Her Legacy
Each year we gather to honor Rachel Morningstar Hoffman to create awareness for Rachel’s Law, a Florida law that went into effect on July 1, 2009, establishing new guidelines for law enforcement when dealing with confidential informants.
“This being the 10th anniversary of Rachel’s passing makes this one extra special. Having been a part of all of them has been a privilege and it is amazing to see how this festival has evolved from a very small gathering of Rachel’s loved ones to a full blown festival, though is still on the smaller end of the festival spectrum, which has a lot to do with its charm. Experiencing Suwannee in a more intimate setting than the big festivals like Wanee or Hulaween is a real treat for those who frequent the park. It is a testament to Paul Levine and Rachel’s mother Margie Weiss that we continue to gather and honor Rachel every year.” – Catfish Alliance
“Me and Rachel were friends. What happened to her still is hard to even fathom sometimes. We have played Purple Hatter’s every year since the beginning and take great pride in doing so alongside our brothers Catfish Alliance and Dubconscious. This fest is a living testament that good people will not just sit idly by while bad sh*t happens in this world.” – Buck of Trial by Stone
“This feels like a special year for PHB, lots of the Mama Margie and crew’s work has come to fruition. There has been lots of light on Rachel’s story recently, and it feels really good to know all of the work and effort that people have poured out for this cause has made some serious headway for the goal that Margie & Mike set. They have worked tirelessly and have poured out do much emotion to get their point across, takes real strength.” – Vlad the Inhaler
Dave McSweeney of Hive Mind reminds us: “Don’t miss the butterfly release for Rachel at 6:15 pm Saturday at the Amphitheater. It’s the most special moment of the weekend! Purp all day!”
2. Spafford’s First Time at PHB
photo via Jay Stevens
Everyone is talking about Spafford and they are just as excited as we are:
“We can’t wait to get back to The Spirit of Suwannee! It’s such a magical place! The lineup for Purple Hatter’s Ball is amazing this year and we are incredibly honored to be a part of this amazing event. It’s really special for us to be playing alongside such great acts like Lettuce, Breaking Biscuits, The Heavy Pets and all of the others – seeing old friends and making new ones is the best part of festivals like this!
This is our first time at Purple Hatter’s Ball so we want to pull out all the stops… We definitely have some tricks up our sleeves! As always with Spafford, expect the unexpected!” – “Red” of Spafford
3. The Funk with Roosevelt Collier, Toubab Krewe, Breaking Biscuits, Dubconscious, Hive Mind, Lettuce & more
photo via Roosevelt Collier on Facebook
This year’s lineup is all-around one of the most unique curations to date. We can guarantee you won’t see a combination of acts like this again. And thanks in advance for booking Toubab Krewe this year!
“I love Purple Hatter’s because nothing gets me more excited than a festival in my home state. This one is always so intimate and personal – and it’s amazing how we can really celebrate the life of Rachel and keep her spirit and vision alive. There’s always something special planned for my set and for this, there’s something about that Purple Hat wants me to dip into my bag of Hendrix 😉 And I can’t wait to see Breaking Biscuits – love that band and it’s always a special treat.” – Roosevelt Collier
“Hive Mind is really excited to be a part of this year’s celebration of all things Rachel. We’re gonna be coming in hot with our high-energy jams to kick off the festival at 4pm Friday on the one and only Amphitheater stage. We’re looking forward to Breaking Biscuits as that is a rare set and definitely gonna be a special one! Lettuce not forget about the funk though.” – Dave McSweeney (Hive Mind)
“I’m elated at the lineup that Paul crafted for this year. Toubab Krewe and Dubconscious at the Ampitheater are historically some of my favorite and most cerebral sets I have had the chance to experience. I don’t even have to speak on Lettuce, we all know what GOAT stands for. As far as my set, you can expect that weird bass from me as always. I expect to get loose on the beach and make some booties shake.” – Vlad the Inhaler
4. The Beach Stage
photo via Rex-A-Vision
What’s a Florida festival in June without a beach? Saturday afternoon will be all about the river stage with sets beginning at 12:30pm. If there happens to be a rain shower – at least you’ll already have on your swimming suit!
“This will be Catfish Alliance’s first time playing down on the river stage. The afternoons on the water are always so much fun and I think Paul shutting down the other stages and letting all the Jax and Tally musicians do the beach party will make for a very fun day. It will be a proper North Florida celebration. Sex Manatee is an indigenous aquatic beast so I think he’ll really be in his element down there near the river…He’s been working on some sort of a craft cocktail he’s calling Sexual on the Beach. I guess he’s gonna be serving up drinks before/during/after our set?” – Catfish Alliance
“This year we are looking forward to transforming the beach stage Saturday afternoon into an all out Tallahassee party as us and Catfish do back-to-back sets in honor of our friend. Purp all day!” – Buck of Trial by Stone
5. Purp All Day
photo via Brian Hensley
Purple here, purple there, purple everywhere! Get your purple hats ready – we’ll see you on the dance floor.
Purchase tickets here
