Fallout from the We Belong Here music festival, held at Vinoy Park in December, nearly jeopardized other events in downtown St. Petersburg. Photos by Mark Parker.
Rhythmic bass from We Belong Here, a self-billed “intimate” concert along St. Petersburg’s downtown waterfront, was heard in neighboring Gulfport. Subsequent backlash continues reverberating.
The two-day electronic music festival, held Dec. 13-14 at Vinoy Park, could have lasting impacts on future events in St. Petersburg. City council members aired ongoing concerns on Feb. 19, when asked to approve 10 upcoming events from different promoters.
Mayor Ken Welch, his administration, and council members, who were hesitant to approve new concerts at the meeting, agree that the city must evaluate best practices for hosting major events. However, they have yet to set a date for a Committee of the Whole workshop.
“I will tell you that there is some time sensitivity to some of these events,” said Mike Jefferis, community enrichment administrator. “I’m guessing, if we don’t get approval today, the events would find another location.”
“Maybe that’s just the break we need until we can figure this out,” replied Councilmember Gina Driscoll.
The city is waiting to process a new application from We Belong Here’s promoters.
Council Chair Lisset Hanewicz began addressing festival concerns before those reached a tipping point with We Belong Here. She said the festival’s 2025 application stated it was an intimate event.
Several thousand people attended, resulting in police and city officials receiving dozens of noise complaints from residents throughout St. Petersburg. “The We Belong Here concert was just outrageous,” Hanewicz said.
“And, frankly, you all (administrators) saying it went through the process, and it was okay, indicates that the process does not work. Period.”
Jefferis said administrators are now taking a “deep dive” into city protocols and promised a “robust” conversation at the undated workshop. They are also working with peer cities and the legal department to determine best practices.
City officials will discuss issues related to event size and duration, nominal city fees, noise, public urination, public park access, and environmental impacts. However, event organizers cannot afford to wait.
“There are some events that are on this list today that are waiting for this action from city council to start selling tickets and to start promoting their event,” Jefferis said. “I’m also happy to report that we’ve reached out to some of the larger events, and we’ve asked them to get creative with us.”
The co-sponsored event applications presented Feb. 19 include a Slightly Stoopid concert, the One of Us Presents music festival, the St. Pete Country Fest, Red Bull Cliff Diving St. Petersburg, and several other recurring events.
Jefferis is discerning if all major festival organizers can “reduce the number of days that the parks are pulled offline.” For example, previously approved Reggae Rise Up will take over Vinoy Park from March 12-15, not including the time it takes to set up and take down a massive festival’s infrastructure.
Vinoy Park has hosted the Reggae Rise Up music festival since 2015.
Jefferis said the city is also working with promoters to reposition speakers and the St. Petersburg Police Department to address criminal infractions. The overarching goal is to ensure “we are the best neighbors that we can possibly be,” while retaining a “vibrant, active downtown.”
“We are of the opinion that you are not approving more of the same kind of concert that happened in December,” he said. “I can tell you that every one of these events is going to frustrate somebody in the community.”
“Not like this,” Driscoll said of We Belong Here. Jefferis agreed with that sentiment.
We Belong Here’s organizers have filed an application to host their second festival in St. Petersburg. Jefferis said the city has not “moved that forward at this point because we’re wanting to really fine-tune, and make sure we understand what we legally can and can’t do.”
Driscoll, who voted against approving the other co-sponsored event applications, would have preferred a moratorium on new concerts “until we get this sorted out.” She said residents “deserve to have some action taken after what they had to deal with.”
Councilmember Richie Floyd believes the police department needs to proactively enforce noise ordinances. We Belong Here’s organizers received multiple after-the-fact violations.
Hanewicz, like Driscoll, did not want the council’s approval of other events to indicate a business-as-usual approach to major events in the city. “I want the public to understand – it’s not rosy,” she said. “I want the promoters to know that this is not going to be accepted.”
City Administrator Rob Gerdes said he and his colleagues understand the council’s frustration and look forward to the broader discussion on how events “drive some economic opportunity downtown, and what are the adverse impacts of that.” However, they would also “greatly appreciate it if we could move forward on these” in the meantime.
The council acquiesced and voted 7-1 to approve 10 co-sponsored event applications. We Belong Here’s promoters will have to wait.
Vinoy Park on a typical day. Photo: City of St. Petersburg Parks and Recreation Department.
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