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The 2018 Sing Out Loud Festival — a free, music festival hosted in venues around St. Johns County for four weekends in September — was recently honored with an award for its significant contribution to the livability and quality of life in Northeast Florida.
This award was presented Dec. 6 by the Northeast Florida Regional Council during its 2018 Regional Leadership Awards Ceremony, held at WJCT Studios in Jacksonville. The ceremony recognized regional excellence in a variety of critical arenas essential to positioning the regional community as a model of cooperation and coordination. The ceremony hosted award recipients, elected officials and community leaders from all over Northeast Florida.
Award categories included Excellence in Economic Development & Tourism, Excellence in Education, Excellence in Planning & Growth Management and Excellence in Inclusion. In a first for the Festival, the Sing Out Loud Festival was honored with the “Quality of Life” award due to its significant contribution to the livability and quality of life in Northeast Florida. The Sing Out Loud festival was also recognized for its fundraising efforts resulting in a donation of $98,000 to the Betty Griffin Center.
Accepting the award on behalf of the Sing Out Loud Festival was St. Augustine Amphitheatre General Manager and Festival Organizer Ryan Murphy, alongside staff of the St. Johns County Cultural Events Division.
“It was an honor to be recognized for the positive impact that this Festival we work so hard on has had in the community,” Murphy said. “Most significant was the thunderous applause that erupted around the room when we noted the money we raised for the amazing and critical work that the Betty Griffin Center does. Thank you to all who support the Festival and to the amazing staff that works tirelessly on this event each year.”
