Saddle Up for the Thrilling Brighton Field Day Festival & Rodeo!
February is now in full swing, and there is one more exciting winter festival right around the corner. Over the last few weeks, we have danced at Tribal Fair and listened to some great music at the Indigenous Arts and Music Festival. This week, get ready for the last stop on this year’s Seminole Tribe winter festival lineup: the 86th Annual Brighton Field Day Festival and Rodeo! This year’s festival will include four action packed days, from Thursday, February 13th through Sunday, February 16th.
Brighton Field Day has long roots within the Brighton Seminole community. It is also one of the oldest running Native festivals in the United States. In 1938 Mr. William Boehmer and wife Edith Boehmer, schoolteachers on the Brighton Reservation, organized a “day of fun” for the local tribal community. Originally only for Seminoles, the field day festivities included pie eating contests, sack races, and various games. This beloved event has now grown to include the greater community. It boasts the PRCA rodeo, powerhouse musical headliners, and thrilling animal shows. Today, join us for all the inside details on this year’s action-packed festival. You won’t want to miss this one!
Tickets can be found online at TicketWeb. There are no other online retailers but tickets may be purchased at the gate. All ages tickets for Thursday, February 13th are $15.00. Friday, February 14th all ages tickets are $30.00. Saturday. February 15th all ages tickets are $50.00, which includes the concert cost. All ages tickets for Sunday, February 16th are $30.00. Each festival day, children 5 and under are free. Doors open at 9:00 am. Unsure how to get there? The event will be held at Fred Smith Rodeo Arena on the Brighton Reservation. Follow directions with the address 17410 Sports Complex Road, Okeechobee, FL 34974.
Musical Headliners
A Saturday ticket for Brighton Field Day Festival & Rodeo is $50.00 for all ages, with children under 5 years old free. The Saturday ticket also covers the concert, featuring Will Mosely as the opener and Brantley Gilbert as the headliner. You will not need to purchase an additional ticket for their shows beyond the Brighton Field Day Saturday Ticket. The concert will be outside, so please bring your own chairs if you so desire. No coolers or tents allowed.
Will Mosely
Up and coming American Idol alum Will Mosely will open for Brantley Gilbert Saturday, February 15th at 6:00 pm. From Georgia, the young country star broke out with his original hit “Gone for Good,” which has since debuted at number 13 on the Billboard country music charts. In an ABC interview about his big break Mosely shared, “Being on stage and singing to people, it’s an adrenaline rush. The feeling that you get when you sing your own song and people sing it back to you is life changing.”
Music is Mosely’s dream, and it looks like he is on the road to reaching great heights with it. Since American Idol he has released a number of other singles and toured with some big names across the country. Long term, he hopes to make it stick, saying in an Atlanta Magazine interview that: “My goal and where I hope to see myself in five to ten years is still working as a musician and making a living off of it,” he says. “Staying humble and staying grounded and keeping everything authentic; making sure that the music that we’re writing and putting out is really us.”
Brantley Gilbert
Country rock singer, songwriter, and producer Brantley Gilbert headlines Brighton Field Day Saturday, February 15th at 7:00 pm. A powerhouse with almost 20 years in the industry, Gilbert got his start in Nashville as a songwriter while performing at local venues in 2005. His first album A Modern-Day Prodigal Son was released in 2009. Since then, he has released seven studio albums. His most recent, Tattoos, was released September 13, 2024.
In a Forbes interview about his new album, Gilbert shares that he has long been interested in music, and it has been hard work that got him where he is now. “To hear my mom tell it, I had a little microphone and guitar as a young kid and apparently used to play shows for an audience of one (myself). I don’t remember that. She said I was terrible, and I do remember that. No, it was precious to her. But I wasn’t a savant or anything. The blessings I’ve been shown aren’t necessary God-given talent, it took a lot of practice.”
He went on to share that in this album, he hopes to break barriers in country music. “In the past we had some unspoken rules where maybe you had songs dedicated to radio and you tried to make the album fit those. We found ourselves trying to put country instrumentation on songs that didn’t really call for it. But streaming has taken away some of the shackles and this album is probably the first we’ve done where the rules didn’t matter at all. So, it was a lot of fun, and I can’t wait for people to hear it.”
Dance
Indigenous Enterprises Dance Troupe
Founded in 2015, Indigenous Enterprise Dance Troupe’s mission is: “to preserve, promote, and advance Indigenous culture through the power of powwow song and dance. Through our dynamic and captivating performances, we seek to inspire and uplift audiences, while deepening cultural understanding and competency around Indigenous identity.” Founded by Kenneth Shirley, the group has gone around the world sharing Native American culture, dance, music, and more. “When we were overseas in Australia, that was the first time a lot of people had ever seen a Native American,” says Shirley in a Vogue interview. “We want to showcase what real Indigenous people look like—not the Hollywood negative stereotypes.”
The group’s performance can look like an entire pow wow wrapped into one, where “There are men’s fancy war dancers, a jingle dress dancer, a hoop dancer, a chicken dancer, a fancy shawl dancer, and a grass dancer [all onstage at once]. It’s like a condensed powwow ceremony, but for audiences that may not be familiar with the culture’s different dances and meanings.”
Sharing the different dances and regalia allows them to show the audience their culture and their story, “We’re showing you our dances, but we’re also telling you our history,” says jingle dancer Acosia Red Elk. “We’re showing that we are still here, and that our culture is still thriving—even after they tried their hardest to take that away from us.”
“In Tlanextli Tlacopan” Aztec Fire Dancers
From Mexico City, the “In Tlanextli Tlacopan” Aztec Fire Dancers are back for another exciting year at Brighton Field Day. Comprised mostly of members of the Tellez family, leader Martin Tellez shares on their website that “Our dances represent the timeless splendor of our Mexicah culture. Through these dances, we honor our Mexicah ancestors, indigenous legacy and conserve our historical and cultural Mexicah identities.”
White Mountain Apache Crown Dancers
Also, back for another exciting Brighton Field Day Festival, the White Mountain Apache Dancers are a family dance troupe. The Apache Crown Dance “is a ceremonial dance that ‘celebrates ancestors, community, and traditions while honoring gifts from the Creator.’”
Wildlife Shows
Freestyle Alligator Wrestling Competition (FAWC)
Full of heart stopping thrills and excitement, the Freestyle Alligator Wrestling Competition (FAWC) “is a professional sports league in which the BEST alligator wranglers in the world test their skills and bravery against wild alligators.” Alligator wrestling, as we have touched on the blog before, is an important cultural touchstone for Seminoles, rooted in history. In the early 19th century, alligator wrestling would ensure the survival of the Seminole people, fueling Seminole tourism during incredibly lean years.
Billy Walker Alligator Show
In addition to the FAW Competitions, celebrated alligator wrestler Billy Walker will perform a number of wildlife and alligator shows throughout the weekend. Popular at many Seminole events, Walker has decades of alligator handling experience. Above, you can see Walker performing during FAWC at the 2023 Brighton Field Day Festival & Rodeo.
Venomous Snake Show – David “The Cobra Kid” Weathers
David “The Cobra Kid” Weathers will perform his famous venomous snake show throughout the weekend. Weathers got interested in snake handling at a young age, especially seeing other handlers such as Seminole alligator wrestlers. In fact, “Seeing these people co-exist with these dangerous animals drew David more towards his dreams of becoming an animal handler and trainer.”
PRCA Rodeo
One of the most beloved parts of the Brighton Field Day Festival is the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) competitions. The PRCA is the oldest and most established professional rodeo organization in the world. Brighton joined the PRCA in 1940, and this year marks another fantastic rodeo season here in Brighton. Events include bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, roping demonstrations, barrel racing, and also Xtreme Bulls. The Xtreme Bulls showcase features some of the top ranked PRCA bull riders in the world, as well as contestants who have qualified through other Xtreme Bulls events.
Other Events and Demonstrations!
In addition to the exciting guests, demonstrations, and competitions shared above, there will be a number of other fun, family-friendly options for festival goers to peruse. A traditional weapons demonstration from Osceola’s Warrior Legacy will also be scheduled throughout the weekend. The group works to accurately depict historic Seminole weapons, tactics, and Seminole war period clothing while showing people how Seminoles fought U.S. Army troops during the 1800s.
This year will also mark the 86th Annual Brighton Field Day Parade. There will also be Seminole clothing contests, including categories for kids, seniors, men, and women. Authentic Indigenous food vendors, arts and crafts, and other items will also be available for festival goers.
This year’s 86th Annual Brighton Field Day Festival & Rodeo is jam-packed with authentic Native culture, music, and dance, thrilling animal shows, heart stopping PRCA rodeo competitions, and much, much more. You don’t want to miss out on the “Granddad” of Seminole Festivals! So, get your tickets today and get ready!
Author Bio
Originally from Washington state, Deanna Butler received her BA in Archaeological Sciences from the University of Washington in 2014. Deanna moved to Florida in 2016. Soon, she began working for the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Tribal Historic Preservation Office. Deanna was the THPO’s Archaeological Collections Assistant from 2017-2021. While at the THPO, Deanna worked to preserve, support, and process the Tribe’s archaeological collection. She often wrote the popular Artifact of the Month series and worked on many community and educational outreach programs. She lives in Lakeland, FL with her husband, two sons, and dog.
