OCALA, Fla. (March 11, 2021) – The Marion Cultural Alliance (MCA), in partnership with the City of Ocala was awarded the Levitt AMP [Your City] grant to host a fourth consecutive year, however, the series was postponed in 2020 due to safety measures for COVID-19. Staff worked with the Levitt Foundation and artists from the 2020 lineup to bring back the Levitt AMP Ocala Music Series in 2021.
The series will return April 16 to June 25 (excluding May 28 for Memorial Day), 7 to 9 p.m. and features ten free, family-friendly concerts to the public every Friday night. Concerts will take place at Webb Field at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex located at 1510 NW Fourth Street. In the event of inclement weather, the concerts will move indoors to the E.D. Croskey Recreation Center, which now features improved acoustics and sound absorption through the installation of a functional art piece called “Patchwork Parable.”
The series will feature a diverse lineup of high-caliber talent spanning a variety of musical genres. Each concert will also spotlight a local non-profit organization, that will conduct a special activity or performance during the intermission. Food will be available for purchase at each concert. Blankets and chairs are encouraged. The series will also reflect safety measures through socially distanced seating areas across the field. Sanitation stations and procedures to sanitize high-touch areas will take place throughout the series. Stay tuned for the full lineup release.
“The activation of Webb Field through the Levitt AMP Ocala Music Series has brought investment to the surrounding historic neighborhoods and is catalyst to creating one of the city’s three cultural arts hubs on the west side of Ocala,” said Laura Walker, Cultural Arts and Sciences Division Head
“Marion Cultural Alliance is proud to partner with the City to bring back the Levitt AMP Ocala Music Series in 2021,” said Jaye Baillie, Executive Director, Marion Cultural Alliance. “This series has reimagined and injected new life into the historic Webb Field with ten weeks of free concerts. The diverse lineup features acclaimed, emerging talent to seasoned, award winning artists on the local, regional and nation circuits ensuring access to high-caliber performances. Bring your chair or blanket and join people of all ages and backgrounds who gather together to listen, dance, and sing.”
For information, vending or sponsorship, please visit www.ocalafl.org/levittamp or contact City of Ocala Cultural Arts at artinfo@ocalafl.org or 352-629-8447. To learn more about the Levitt AMP series, visit the Levitt Foundation website at www.levittamp.org.
About the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation
The Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation is a private foundation that exists to strengthen the social fabric of America. Through its support of creative placemaking, the Levitt Foundation empowers communities to transform underused public spaces into welcoming destinations where the power of free, live music brings people together and invigorates community life. The Foundation's primary funding areas include permanent Levitt venues and the Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant Awards, an annual grants competition. During the past decade, the Foundation has awarded more than $20 million in grants to support access to free, high-caliber live music experiences while bringing new life to public spaces.
The Levitt network of permanent outdoor music venues and AMP concert sites collectively serves more than 750,000 people annually through 600+ free, family-friendly concerts in 28 towns and cities.
Permanent Levitt venues are in cities as diverse as Los Angeles; Denver; Westport, Conn.; Dayton, Ohio; Bethlehem, Pa.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; Memphis; and Arlington, Texas. Each permanent Levitt venue presents 50 free concerts every year and is programmed, managed and supported by its own 501(c)(3) Friends of Levitt nonprofit organization. Due to accelerating interest from cities and engaged citizens, the permanent Levitt venue program is growing. Developing Levitt locations across the country include San Jose, Calif. and Houston, amongst other cities. Learn more at www.levitt.org.
###
City Events
All advertised city events are scheduled to take place, as planned. However, the final disposition of these events will be evaluated, based on guidance from local health department officials and current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. As such, all city events are subject to postponement or cancellation based on the current recommendations and guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID-19.
Events that do take place as scheduled will be implemented with health and safety protocols in place. Visitors choosing to participate are encouraged to follow CDC guidelines for face coverings and social distancing.
