Stereo Beat Magazine

Meghan Tinelli

Great South Bay Music Festival

Great South Bay celebrated its 17th year creating another, unforgettable summer weekend with Long Island traditions in Shorefront Park, Patchogue. The 4 day weekend is more than a music festival, it features local community spirit, unique vendors, amazing food and rotating music across 3 different stages. Something I love about this festival is that there is music for everybody to enjoy. There were different themes of genres everyday such as pop-punk, reggae, jam bands and yacht rock- an amazing mix of music to please all fans as well as finding a new band you didn’t know you would enjoy.  

Who Performed?

Some of the biggest acts of the weekend include Taking Back Sunday, Gym Class Heroes, Men At Work, Damian and Stephen Marley and Moe. The crowds were huge, showing some hardcore fans. It was very cool as well to see some beloved Long Island bands like Oogee Wawa. They played on the FTC stage with a huge crowd that loved them. 

Five Towns College Stage

One of the stages is the Five Towns College Stage, which is fully run by students. They gain incredible hands-on experience doing audio, lighting, media and understand live concert production better while getting amazing connections. This is my 3rd year at the festival and since I just graduated from Five Towns, I spent a lot of my time there with my friends. Something unique they do is live video and radio broadcasts during the performances. They have several camera operators on stage as well as directors putting together an amazing live video. 

Food, Drinks, Vendors

Festival food is always my favorite because of the wide selection. Anything you wanted to eat was there, from pizza to shish kabobs. This year I got the pizza and cheeseburger and it was amazing. There’s something about simple festival food that just tastes amazing. For dessert, the fried oreos are definitely a crowd favorite. Something I have to mention that is a huge hit amongst my friends every year, is Wild Bills. They have a truck where you can go up and get your own soft drinks, with a reusable cup for the entire festival. The lemonade is my favorite and so worth it and refreshing. 

Every year they have amazing, unique vendors to walk around and shop. They sell crystals, jewelry, art, clothes and more. The prices are also very reasonable, which is important and people love it!

A Festival For Everyone

Although this festival is a great place to enjoy a bunch of beers on the water, they have an exclusive KidZone making it family-friendly. There were many special performances on the kids stage such as magicians, jugglers, kid sing-alongs and puppet shows. There also is arts and crafts and face painting tents nearby. There were tons of kids all around the festival and this area was full of families taking a break from the heat. 

My Favorite Performances

As an emo kid, my favorite day of the festival was obviously Thursday, Pop-Punk day. Seeing Taking Back Sunday and Gym Class Heroes was my absolute favorite part and a surreal experience. My favorite moment of the entire festival had to be meeting Travie McCoy from Gym Class Heroes. I absolutely adore him and he was so kind and amazing to meet.

If you are near Long Island, Great South Bay is an amazing weekend you shouldn’t miss in the summer. It’s my favorite time of the year and I already can’t wait for next year and to see what’s next!