GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) -The sounds of live music filled downtown Gainesville Sunday, as the AM/FM Music Festival returned for another year of performances, food and community.
The free event featured more than two dozen local bands and artists performing across three downtown venues: ‘The Bull’, ‘Looseys’ and ‘How Bazar’.
Performances began at 1 p.m. and continue until 10 p.m., with multiple genres represented across the stages.
“This particular festival is curated in a unique way,” said Brandon Telg, director of the nonprofit Music GNV, which created the event. “The committee reached out to several music promoters, bookers and organizations that work around music in Gainesville and asked who do you want to see at this festival. That’s how we end up with such a wide ranging list of genres and styles.”
The AM/FM Festival — which stands for “All Music For Music Festival” — originally ran from 2010 to 2016 before being discontinued. After a 10-year hiatus, organizers brought it back in 2025 by popular demand.
Last year’s inaugural return drew approximately 600 people throughout the day. Telg said organizers expect even larger crowds this year.
“This is something that pulls a lot of people into this area to spend money to eat at the restaurants and food trucks, and to go to some of the ice cream places around,” Telg said.
Jacob Larson, owner of The Bull, said events like the AM/FM Festival are vital to the downtown business community.
“Having events and experiences for people to come to checks off all the boxes for a great experience,” Larson said. “It’s a free event, and when you get a lot of people here, we have 40 different nonalcoholic options too. This is good for all ages, but when people come in and get something to eat or drink, that puts money in the register and helps us pay the bills.”
For local band Noise Next Door, the festival represents an opportunity to connect with audiences eager to discover new sounds.
“If there’s ever a place to try a new song, this is the audience that wants to hear music they’ve never heard before,” band members Tanner and Max said. “It’s cool to have a lot of friends playing here and just spend the day seeing your friends play music.”
The AM/FM Music Festival continued until 10 p.m., with a final performance by ‘The Nancys’ playing at ‘The Bull’.
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