JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Sept. 15, 2015) – The Ritz Theatre and Museum and SMG have partnered with Jacksonville PorchFest to provide the headline act for the popular music festival’s second-annual event this November. New Orleans American funk rock band “Flow Tribe” will headline PorchFest, to be held November 7.

Organized by the Springfield Preservation and Revitalization Council, Inc. (SPAR), this is the second year for the free festival where local musicians perform on the porches of historic Springfield homes. The inaugural event in 2014 was a huge success, with more than 4,000 attendees filling the streets of historic Springfield in the first-of-its-kind event for Jacksonville.

“This partnership is a natural fit, as both SPAR and the Ritz share a mission of preserving arts and culture in historic districts,” said Liz McDonald, director of the Ritz Theatre and Museum. “Like Springfield, LaVilla, home of the Ritz Theatre and Museum, is one of Jacksonville’s most historic neighborhoods. It was long known as ‘The Harlem of the South’ because of the amazing entertainers who regularly performed there.”

Founded in 2004 and known for its high-energy show, Flow Tribe was featured in 2010 on MTV’s The Real World: New Orleans. The band has played the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival five years running, including the Acura Main Stage in 2014 and 2015. The band brings a traveling street parade with them to every concert. Its six seasoned performers have shared the stage with performers such as Trombone Shorty, Juvenile and Bill Summers.

“We are beyond excited and thankful for the Ritz and SMG’s generosity and support in bringing such well-known regional talent to PorchFest this year,” said Christina Parrish, executive director of SPAR and a founder of PorchFest. “In addition to Flow Tribe’s performance on the evening of November 7, we’ll also have 20 local bands playing on Springfield’s beautiful porches throughout the afternoon. It’s going to be another amazing festival.”

To learn more about Jacksonville PorchFest 2015, visit: www.jacksonvilleporchfest.org.

To learn more about Flow Tribe, visit: www.flowtribe.com.

For more information, call the Ritz at 904-807-2010 or visit: www.ritzjacksonville.com and www.jaxevents.com to see upcoming shows. The Ritz Theatre and Museum is located in downtown Jacksonville at 829 North Davis Street.

About the Ritz Theatre and Museum
The Ritz Theatre and Museum, located in Jacksonville’s historic African American community of La Villa, celebrating the artistic culture of African American life in Northeast Florida and the African Diaspora with museum exhibits, concerts, films, lectures, dance and dramatic arts

About SPAR
Springfield Preservation and Revitalization Council, Inc. (“SPAR”)  has facilitated positive change in Jacksonville’s Springfield Historic District since 1974.  SPAR is organized around five important themes:  preservation; quality of life; commercial revitalization; civic advocacy; and connecting. Learn more about SPAR at www.sparcouncil.org

About SMG
Founded in 1977, SMG provides management services to more than 230 public assembly facilities including convention and exhibition centers, arenas, stadiums, theatres, performing arts centers, equestrian facilities, science centers and a variety of other venues. With facilities across the globe, SMG manages more than 14.4 million square feet of exhibition space and over 1.75 million sports and entertainment seats. As the recognized global industry leader, SMG provides venue management, sales, marketing, event booking and programming, construction and design consulting, and pre-opening services for such landmark facilities as McCormick Place & Solider Field in Chicago, Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, Houston’s Reliant Park and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. SMG also offers food and beverage operations through its concessions, catering and special events division, SAVOR, currently servicing more than 100 accounts worldwide. For more information visit www.smgworld.com

Media Contacts: 
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Michelle Guglielmo Gilliam | Point Taken Communications | Email |
904.485.6597