OKEECHOBEE -- The Okeechobee Music Festival returns to Sunshine Grove Thursday, March 3 through Sunday, March 6.

This will be the fifth OMF, although not exactly “annual.” The first OMF was in March 2016. The festival continued in March 2017 and March 2018 before taking a hiatus in 2019. In March 2020, OMF was back and was the last major music festival in the country for 2020 before the COVID-19 shutdown. Due to the continued pandemic, the 2021 OMF was canceled.

Now COVID-19 numbers are down – Okeechobee County was below 10% new case positivity this week – and vaccines are free and readily available at most pharmacies.

The festival is back.

What does that mean for Okeechobee County residents? For some, it will mean attending their first OMF.  Earlier this year, OMF held a special event to allow Okeechobee County residents to purchase festival tickets for $100, a deep discount of the regular price of around $300.

Some community members have attended all the previous festivals -- many as festival volunteers or volunteers for local nonprofit organizations that have booths there. After the break in 2021, they're looking forward to seeing how the 2022 OMF compares to the others they enjoyed.

Aside from the lighted road signs on the major highways, some residents may not even notice the music fest. However, if you live in Okeechobee and don’t like crowds or are easily shocked by less than modest clothing choices, you may want to do your shopping a little earlier – or a little later – next week.

If 2022 is anything like the four previous festivals, Walmart and the grocery stores will be swamped with festival fans Wednesday afternoon/evening and Thursday. The festival grounds open on Thursday, and fans driving from out of state sometimes arrive on Wednesday. It’s not usual to for them to spend the night in their cars.

Because of the long distances they travel, and the fact they tend to pack as many people into a vehicle as possible to save on gas, they need to buy food and supplies in Okeechobee before heading out to the festival grounds on the Sundance Trails property in northeastern Okeechobee County. This tends to mean there will be long lines at Walmart and the grocery stores.

Many of the festival goers are college students on Spring Break, so they often arrive clad in beach attire. They are a happy, friendly group of music fans, excited to be here.

The rush at the stores is usually limited. Once the OMF fans get to the festival grounds, they set up camp and stay there until Monday.