Started in 2018, the Mount Dora Music Festival turned Simpson Cove into Lake County’s living room. Three days in March, national blues and jazz acts play on a stage 30 feet from Lake Dora. You bring a lawn chair, cooler, and maybe a dance partner. No bad seats, no Nashville prices.
The festival was the city’s answer to “we have art and antiques, what about music?” Founder Chris Carson booked acts he’d want to see: Danielle Nicole, Selwyn Birchwood, Vanessa Collier. Word spread fast. Now it draws 5,000+ people and the lineup drops like a holiday. Locals buy early-bird tickets in November and guard them.
What makes it work is the setting. The sun drops behind the trees, the lake breeze kicks up, and the headliner starts as the first star shows. Food trucks line the back, but most people pack charcuterie and wine. Golf carts fill the VIP lot because of course they do. Kids dance barefoot in the grass while parents pretend they’re not watching the sunset.
Local tip: Volunteer for a 4-hour shift and you get free entry plus a t-shirt. Or anchor your boat just outside the cove and listen for free — the sound carries over water. The festival ends Sunday with a gospel brunch that will wreck you in the best way. If Mount Dora had an official soundtrack, this weekend would be it.