WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — We're weeks away from what would've been SunFest weekend in downtown West Palm Beach.
But financial issues and restructuring have left SunFest's future in limbo.
WATCH: 561 Music Festival organizers share details with WPTV about upcoming festival
So what's next? WPTV's Joel Lopez is diving into the details of a new festival, hoping to keep local music and arts alive.
It's called the 561 Music Festival and it's set to take place at the Meyer Amphitheater the same day and location where SunFest has taken place for decades.
SunFest Music Festival has been around for 40 years flooding the waterfront of downtown West Palm Beach with days of art and headliners.
"We just enjoyed the music the food, Shaggy was my favorite one, Nelly was good too," said Antoinette Wilks.
Wilks is a local who grew up going attending SunFest but it's now just a memory after organizers announced a "significant shift,"including new dates and, potentially, a new location.
“How did you react when you heard it was shutting down?” asked Lopez.
“I was sad, I’m like OK, what are we doing now?" said Wilks.
The answer may be the 561 Music Festival coming May 3.
"We aren’t trying to replace SunFest, we aren’t SunFest, what we are trying to do is fill that void of people enjoying music that weekend” said Hector Diaz.
He's the co-organizer of the 561 Music Festival who said this will be the festival's fourth year.
It has been held at a smaller venue for the last three years but has grown to over 800 people attending.
When organizers learned SunFest was out, 561 Muisc Festival organizers decided it was time to level up their event and booked the Meyer Amphitheater.
They're now expecting a crowed of between 1,500 and 3,000 people.
"Our band played SunFest last year and it was a dream come true for us and we have so much respect for SunFest," said co-organizer Ben Childs. "The fact there was an opening this year it means that we could give a little bit of experience we tasted last year to some other bands."
So what sets the 561 Music Festival apart? The event will have two stages, 20 local bands and 15 artists. Most importantly, it will be free thanks to sponsorships.
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“Our sort of tagline is by locals for locals," he said. "We’re just trying to provide something for the community for everyone in the community, the musicians and the people who live here."
They said 150+ bands applied to be in the 20-band lineup which showcases the amount of talent there is in Palm Beach County and the desire to have the exposure and opportunity to perform for a local crowd.
"Every national band you listen to was a local band at some point, and that's what we're trying to do," said Diaz. "Foster an environment that these local musicians can showcase their stuff and be seen and heard and have that sense of community,"
Organizers are still taking applications from local artist who would like to be part of the event.
They are also hosting free shows before and after the event to turn it into a weekend filled with music throughout the area.
For more details on the festival line up and applications, click here.
WPTV reached out to SunFest asking if they've finalized the changes they were planning to make for this year's SunFest but we're working to hear back.
