Weekend Voodoo Fest rocks the Cape
The first-ever VooDoo Fest brought thousands of people to downtown Cape Coral this weekend.
Staged on the grounds of the Leapin’ Lizard on Cape Coral Parkway, the festival had local bands as well as major acts, rare seasonal beer and prizes for the best costume.
VooDoo Fest began Friday night with Nonpoint, a rock band formed in 1998 in Fort Lauderdale, that has toured with other major acts such as Linkin Park, Staind and Disturbed. The following night’s headlining band was Flock of Seagulls, a British 80s rock band known for its lead singers teased hair and hit song “I Ran (So Far Away).”
“Flock of Seagulls had the big hair and did one of the first videos on MTV,” said Mary Ann Evans, owner of the Leapin’ Lizard.
J.T. Steele, a member of The Mixx, a local band who also performed Saturday night, had toured with Flock of Seagulls in the 80s, she said. When Flock of Seagulls was contacted to headline Voodoo Fest they were more than happy to make their way to Cape Coral.
Both Friday and Saturday the festival was open from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. and tickets only cost $10 per day or $15 for the weekend. Music lovers traveled from as far away as Jacksonville to see the bands at VooDoo Fest and now Evans said she wants to make it an annual event.
“Next year we are going to do one of the synchronized videos on YouTube,” she said.
What made this festival attractive to Halloween revelers was that it had music for every demographic. Nonpoint and Flock of Seagulls were the main acts, but local bands Vega Under Fire, Absentee Ballot, Phoenix Falling, Thats A Fact!, Ocean of Theory, The Mixx, T.J. Kelly and High Tight also performed.
“We wanted something for the 30 and under crowd and something for the older group,” said Evans.
Leapin’ Lizard had 35 beers on tap this weekend as part of their International Beer Festival, including some hard to find brands such as Big Black Voodoo Daddy, Stone Arrogant Bastard, Dogfish 60 Minute, Cigar City and Shiner Bock.
While VooDoo Fest was one big Halloween party, there were also opportunities for local groups to raise money for charity. The Kiwanis sold parking spots near the grounds of Leapin’ Lizard and donated 100 percent of their proceeds going to Bags for Backpacks, which sends Lee County students home with backpacks full of food.
“A lot of kids only eat at school,” said Evans. “They pack the bags on Friday night with enough food to get by until Monday morning.”
Students from the Cape Coral High Key Club oversaw the parking and raised $375 this weekend.
The Calendar Girls, a non-profit dance team made up of women over the age of 50, performed to raise funding for Paws for Patriots, a program that trains companion dogs for wounded soldiers.