Float Fest Annnounces Tame Impala, Bassnectar, Snoop Dogg; 20K Fans To Wade Down San Marcos River

Float Festival 2017
Rick Kern/WireImage
– Float Festival 2017
Girl Talk performs onstage during Float Fest at Cool River Ranch on July 22, 2017 in Martindale, Texas. (

Float Fest, the outdoor concert and tubing event where fans float down the San Marcos River in Texas and watch the tunes at Cool River Ranch, has announced Tame Impala, Bassnectar, Snoop Dogg, Modest Mouse, Run The Jewels and many others for July 21-22.  

Other artists on the bill include Lil Wayne, Glass Animals, Toadies, Cashmere Cat, Bun B and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, according to the lineup announcement provided by Float Fest founder Marcus Federman.
Guadalupe County officials and festival organizers went back and forth on securing a permit for the event, with 20,000 music fans now permitted per day at the event according to the local Community Impact newspaper.


Residents complained that Scull Road that leads to the Cool River Ranch can’t handle the number of vehicles expected and worry about the amount of waste and noise produced by attendees. During a recent hearing, the Float Festival president and his attorney submitted a 150-page safety and traffic plan including 120 police, parking control, and more, according to the paper. 
 “I hope the commissioners would agree and acknowledge that it’s been a different permitting process this year,” Federman’s attorney said, according to Community Impact. “What we put in here will be followed to a T, and if it’s not, it’ll be with everybody’s knowledge and acceptance.” 
Float Fest had requested a permit allowing 30,000 fans. Federman last year provided mesh bags for floaters to use as waste bags, and hired crews to clean the river during and after Float Fest, spending about $10,000 over the last three years according to his application.
Previous year’s Float Fest lineups have included Rick Ross, Santigold, Future Islands (2016), Local Natives, Dr. Dog, Quiet Company (2015) and Grouplove and Portugal. The Man (2014), according to Pollstar. Tickets are available at Floatfest.net.
 In somewhat related water-traveling festival news, Tortuga Festival in Florida this year beefed up its Water Taxi program that takes festivalgoers directly to the festival grounds via boat. 
 The country-leaning beachside festival this year eliminated shuttle services and has no parking onsite, according to the local Sun-Sentinel. 
 “Water Taxis are, hands down, the coolest way to get here and the best party before the show. Soak in the sun and enjoy drinks and music onboard,” a note on the festival site says. “Driving and traffic need not apply. It will take you about 30 minutes to get to the festival from any Water Taxi stops.” 
 The festival just wrapped April 6-8 with headliners including Eric Church, Florida Georgia Line, Snoop Dogg, Kip Moore, Keith Urban, Lanco and many others. The 2016 Tortuga reported a sold-out 90,142 tickets sold and $6.6 million gross, with Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Billy Currington and many others.