The 85th Annual Brighton Field Day Festival and Rodeo
The final event of the 2024 Seminole Tribe of Florida Festival Season is almost here! This weekend, visit the Brighton Reservation for the Brighton Field Day Festival and Rodeo. Last year, the first in-person event since the pandemic attracted thousands. From alligator wrestling competitions to professional rodeo, concerts, wildlife shows, and more, there is something sure to grab you each day of the three-day festival. So, don’t miss out on this exciting, unique event! Interested in attending? There are NO authorized online retailers for Brighton Field Day tickets. Please purchase your tickets at the gate or at the two authorized in person retailers. In person, you can buy tickets either at Eli’s Western Wear in Okeechobee, FL or Glisson’s Animal Supply in Sebring, FL. Seniors (60+) and veterans, be sure to bring your ID for daily discounted tickets! Who is Fred Smith? The Seminole Tribe of Florida holds the Brighton Field Day Festival
The 51st Annual Seminole Tribal Fair & Pow Wow is here!
The second exciting event of the 2024 Festival Season is almost here! The Seminole Tribe will host the annual Seminole Tribal Fair & Pow Wow this Friday, February 9, 2024 through Sunday, February 11th, 2024 at the Hard Rock Hollywood in Hollywood, FL. This annual celebration of Native culture and arts will feature vendors, exhibition dancing, wildlife shows, arts and crafts contests, drumming exhibitions, movie screenings, and more! On Sunday, stick around for a FREE concert from Aaron Lewis on his The American Patriot Tour. Looking for more information about Pow Wows and the history of the Seminole Tribal Fair & Pow Wow? Check out last year’s blog about the 50th anniversary event. In our featured image this week, you can see a shot taken by Ralph Notaro at the 50th Annual Seminole Tribal Fair and Pow Wow. Below, you can see a map of the event space, on the Hard Rock
2nd Annual Big Cypress Indigenous Arts and Music Festival
Festival Season is here! This week on the blog, we are giving you the inside details on the first of three back-to-back events from the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The 2nd annual Big Cypress Indigenous Arts and Music Festival will be held on the Big Cypress Reservation February 2 & 3, 2024. Both days gates will open at the Junior Cypress Rodeo Complex at 9:30 am and close at 6:00 pm. Admission is FREE for this exciting event. This year’s theme is “Honoring Our Youth.” Stop by for Indigenous performers, speakers, vendors, and more from throughout the United States and Canada. Below, you can see comprehensive profiles on many of the musical artists, speakers, and more! Master of Ceremonies: Chance Rush Chance Rush will emcee the event both days. Chance travels throughout the United States and Canada to work with Native communities in effort to inspire, heal, motivate, and energize. He has
A Journey Through Payne’s Prairie
Welcome back to our Seminole Spaces series! In this series, we explore places and spaces important to Seminole culture, history, and tourism. Last week, we talked about Seminole Cowkeepers, and learned a bit about the legendary Seminole Cowkeeper Ahaya. Ahaya amassed nearly ten thousand head of cattle, and drove them on the Alachua savanna near Gainesville by 1775. But, how did this Alachuan savanna become known as Payne’s Prairie? This week, we will explore Payne’s Prairie. There, the Seminole relationship with the land, as well as the landscape itself, has shifted and changed over time. In our featured image this week, you can see a shot taken from the observation tower at the Payne’s Prairie Preserve State Park in 2022. Around 300,000 people visit the preserve annually to take in the wide grassy vistas and marshy woodlands. Home to hundreds of species of birds, fish, alligators, and even bison, Payne’s Prairie