Florida Strawberry Festival To Host 1st Battle Of The Bands

PLANT CITY, FL -- The Florida Strawberry Festival is calling all bands in the Central Florida area to compete at the 2019 Florida Strawberry Festival Battle of the Bands.

"Our theme says it all," said Strawberry Festival President Paul Davis. "We hope this battle competition is a huge hit among our guests and a grand slam to those who wish to score big by participating."

Registration for the inaugural battle is already underway. All entrants must be at least 18 years of age or above to participate in the battle competition. If an entrant is not 18 years of age, a minor may participate with a parent or legal guardian's permission and supervision.

For more information, rules, regulations and an application, click here

The submission period ends Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 5 p.m. In early November, after all submissions have been accepted, the Florida Strawberry Festival will announce no more than 20 of the bands to participate in an online fan voting preliminary. Through this process, the festival will solicit fans via social media to vote for the top nine bands of their choice to participate in additional preliminary rounds of battles, which will take place in the Publix Showcase Tent during the Feb. 28 to March 10 festival.

The top nine bands, which will advance to the on-site battle rounds, will be announced via social media in late January.

Bands will be evaluated by a select panel of qualified judges and fan ballots. By midnight on Thursday, March 8, the Florida Strawberry Festival will announce the three top vote-getters. One honorable mention will be recognized as well. The top two front runners will move on to the final battle competition, which will take place on March 9 at 3:30 p.m. on the Wish Farms Sound Stage.

"What a wonderful opportunity for local talent to step up to the plate and show us what they've got," said Davis. "You could say this is our version of American Idol, only better, with a big-league berry feel."

The first-place winner will receive $10,000 in prize money and a trophy. Additionally, the grand prize recipient will receive 25 hours of recording time with Cue Recording South. The runner-up will receive $5,000 and 10 hours of recording time. The honorable mention recipient will receive a $1,000 check.

Image via Strawberry Festival

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