ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Orange County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to approve $500,000 in funding to extend the Frontyard Festival on the Seneff Arts Plaza in front of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts through mid-December.

What You Need To Know

  • Frontyard Festival to continue through mid-December

  • Orange County Commission voted to provide $500,000 to help

  • The money will come from American Rescue Plan recovery funding

  • Capacity also will be increased from 2,000 to about 4,500

With COVID restrictions easing, the 2,000-seat, innovative outdoor venue will increase capacity to accommodate about 4,500 guests. 

The arts center also revealed a group of festival artists already confirmed to play the Mainstage at Seneff Arts Plaza: 

  • July 18 — Country music star Travis Tritt 
  • July 26 — British progressive band King Crimson 
  • Aug. 1 — Jazz artists Dave Koz & Friends featuring Kirk Whalum, Mindi Abair and Vincent Ingala 
  • Nov. 12 — 80s ballad band Air Supply 
  • Nov. 13 — Trio Mary Chapin Carpenter, Marc Cohn and Shawn Colvin 
  • Dec. 4 — Jazz legend Wynton Marsalis with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra 
  • Dec. 9 — Motown’s Four Tops and The Temptations 
  • Dec. 11 — Singer-songwriter David Foster  

The Frontyard Festival will also welcome several local community events and performances, including downtown outdoor arts experience Immerse, Central Florida’s Bach Festival Orchestra and Choir, cultural celebration FusionFest and the Songs of the Season holiday concert with Rollins College and Full Sail University.

The funds to extend the festival will come from revenue recovery funding Orange County received from the federal American Rescue Plan. In addition to providing seed funding for the festival last year, the City of Orlando and AdventHealth also are continuing their financial support.

Last month, the Orlando City Council approved up to $500,000 to support the festival’s extension. 

The Frontyard Festival was started to try to make entertainment safely available to Central Floridians and to give artists a place to perform after most other options were shut down because of the COVID pandemic, and has hosted a variety of events ranging from rock singer Sheryl Crow to community events.

“Orange County is committed to supporting a vibrant arts community,” Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings said. “The Frontyard Festival is an innovative way for our citizens to gather and enjoy a cultural experience while also employing a diverse array of musicians, performers and local restaurants impacted by the pandemic.”

The festival originally was expected to shut down June 12. Strong positive feedback from people who attended the performances and from the artists drove the decision to extend the festival and expand capacity, Dr. Phillips officials said.

“In every post-show survey, guests have praised the team for creating the festival and giving them a safe, secure environment in which to enjoy the arts,” Dr. Phillips Center President and Chief Executive Officer Kathy Ramsberger said.  “They’ve asked us to continue, and with support from partners like the City of Orlando, Orange County and presenting sponsor AdventHealth, we’ve figured out how to make it happen—and make it even better.”  

The arts center has begun transforming the three-acre festival venue, adding an additional 500 guest boxes as well as a fifth and sixth seat option for each box, effectively more than doubling guest capacity.

With most COVID social distancing restrictions easing, the boxes will be placed adjacent to one another in a contiguous row; rows will be spaced 5 feet apart. Masks will be encouraged for those who have not yet been vaccinated, but are no longer required in or outside the box.