Def Leppard, Brad Paisley, Train headline SW FL's new Harvest Nights Music Festival
Organizers call it Southwest Florida's biggest concert event of the year: Country star Brad Paisley. California pop-rockers Train. The '80s "hair-metal" hit makers Def Leppard. And a whole lot more.
They're all playing the new Harvest Nights Music Festival this November in Immokalee.
"The Harvest Nights Music Festival is the premier music event of the year in SWFL," said Megan Maloney, president of the Fort Myers nonprofit The Charity Pros, in a Wednesday news release announcing the festival's lineup. "This is where we bring some of the best artists and bands together with their fans and the community, all for a wonderful charitable cause."
The camping-style festival lets people stay all weekend Nov. 22-24 in the John Jimmie Rodeo Grounds on the Seminole Tribe of Florida's Immokalee Reservation. Or they can just get concert-only tickets.
In addition to the headliners, the fest's eclectic mix of rock, pop and country bands includes:
Former Eagles guitarist Don Felder,
Mac McAnally of the late Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band,
Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line,
Tesla,
The Glorious Sons,
Alana Springsteen,
Southwest Florida bands The Ben Allen Band and Maiden Cane,
And "American Idol" finalists Will Mosely, Jack Blocker and Casey Bishop (with Rock Republic).
The event also features a Festival Village with live entertainment before and after the mainstage concerts, food trucks and arts and crafts booths.
Tickets and parking for Harvest Nights with Def Leppard, Brad Paisley, Train
Three-day tickets for the event go on sale Friday, Sept. 6, with a presale for The Charity Pros donors on Thursday, Sept. 5. Organizers call the ticket purchases "donations" and say they're tax-deductible.
General-admission lawn tickets are $269 for the whole weekend. Reserved seats on bleachers and in a separate seating section are $339-$419.
VIP and other special packages are also available for $479-$1,299.
Single-day tickets go on sale Sept. 20 and start at $99, according to Brad Maloney, The Charity Pros' vice president of operations/events.
Those prices don't include parking: $30 for one day, $75 for all three.
Camping prices range from $75 for a four-day camping pass to $1,199 for a VIP campsite.
More about Fort Myers' The Charity Pros
Fort Myers-based nonprofit The Charity Pros raises money for children and children’s social causes. It also helps grant wishes for children in its Megan’s Wish program, including vacations, meetings with celebrities, toys and more.
Created in 2020, the nonprofit previously brought Matchbox Twenty and former Eagles guitarist Don Felder to Hammond Stadium for a 2023 Hurricane Ian fundraiser.
They also organized two major fundraising events in 2021: A Hertz Arena concert with rock legends John Fogerty and Foreigner, and a virtual fundraiser featuring performances and recorded messages from Fogerty, Lance Bass of NSYNC, country star Rosanne Cash, Felder and more celebrities. Fogerty was also scheduled to play shows in Tampa and Orlando, but those were canceled due to what organizers called "production issues."
Harvest Nights will benefit Southwest Florida's The Immokalee Foundation, Guadalupe Center, and Cancer Alliance Network, according to the news release.
"We love the work that all of these organizations do for the children and families in their community," Megan Maloney said in the news release. "Their missions align with ours at The Charity Pros in making a difference in a child's life."
The three-day music festival was largely put together by Brad Maloney, The Charity Pros' vice president of operations/events. And this isn't his first huge outdoor fest in Southwest Florida.
Maloney previously worked for concert-promotion company Blu Entertainment Group and co-organized 2015's CountryLife Music Festival at Charlotte County's Florida Tracks & Trails. The lineup included Big & Rich, Hank Williams Jr. and Reba McEntire.
The three-day event drew thousands of country-music fans to the park, but it was also plagued by behind-the-scenes drama that eventually led to Blu filing for bankruptcy. That drama included how the proceeds were counted by park staff and who was responsible for which expenses.
In a Facebook post Tuesday, Maloney called Harvest Nights "the most challenging music festival line-up I have ever put together."
"This 3-day Music & Camping Festival will be the biggest music event ever in SWFL," he wrote. "Please support The Charity Pros with buying tickets, sponsoring or donating to this amazing event."
For tickets and more information, visit thecharitypros.org.
— Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To reach him, call 239-335-0368 (for tickets to shows, call the venue) or email him at [email protected].
Follow or message him on social media: Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), X (formerly Twitter) (@charlesrunnells), Threads (@crunnells1) and Instagram (@crunnells1).
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Def Leppard, Brad Paisley, Train: Harvest Nights announces lineup, tickets
