This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter.

For the past three years, flipturn has hosted its annual Playground Music and Arts Festival, where they headline and perform with a lineup of local bands. Full of art, vendors, music, hula hoopers, and more, Playground has brought people together to enjoy the festival. This year, there were 10 artists playing, from indie and folk to hardcore rock and pop. Artists played the entire day, alternating from the See and Saw stages as soon as a set ended.

PRIZILLA: A local Gainesville band, PRIZILLA, opened up the festival playing a variety of pop-soul hits. The lead singer’s strong vocals paired beautifully together with the music’s whimsical sound, as well as unique saxophone solos. They played an unreleased song, which was inspired by Erykah Badu and Neo-Soul. The band played their song “Movin’ On” to close out their set, which the lead singer said was her favorite song to play live.
Buboy: Buboy captivated the crowd by opening up with a banger, “Leave It All To Me,” from the iCarly soundtrack. Buboy always keeps the crowd hyped and engaged with his lyricism and sound. The energy of the crowd burst when he played “MOVIE STAR,” getting the crowd from going low to the ground to jumping in seconds. Buboy played their hit unreleased song as well, titled “White Girls Are Not The Answer.” The artist closed out with another unreleased song about being 16 years old.
Lighthearted: This twin-sister indie-folk duo from Athens took the stage to mellow out the festival. The duo, Gracie Huffman and Eliza Lemmon performed a series of folk and indie arrangements with their soft and dynamic voices. Their music reminded me of a mixture of Lizzy McAlpine, Bon Iver, and Fleet Foxes with both their lyricism and sound. They captivated their audience with gorgeous harmonies and lyrics about love, loss, and more. They then announced a new single coming out on Feb. 7!
Laney Tripp: Laney Tripp took the stage and mesmerized the crowd with their sweet-sounding folk and indie pop tone. The Florida-bred, L.A.-based singer-songwriters take inspiration from their tropical surroundings of New Smyrna Beach. The band has catchy melodies and a soft sound, combined with lyrics about love, personal growth, and more. The artists played an arrangement of songs that featured electronic and synth elements. This band charmed the crowd with its lyricism and dreamy production.
hallpass: This other Athens-based band had a vibrant and loud sound that kept the audience hyped during the entire set. Their set was a combination of lighthearted pop-rock and driving alt-rock. The band has powerful instrumentals, with guitar strumming powerful enough to make the lead singer’s finger bleed during the set. The drum solos fascinated the audience and kept them moving. They had an energetic and feel-good stage presence the entire set, which made it one of my favorite sets of the night.
Bendigo Fletcher: Bendigo Fletcher paired folk-rock melodies with the lead singer’s warm vocals and banjo strumming. The band is from Louisville, Kentucky. Their set was a perfect mix of alt-country, soul, and folk. They played a variety of songs from their discography, but mostly from their album released in early 2024, Two Things At Once. Their lyrics are very poetic and reflective, discussing themes of love and loss to create a comforting and intimate set.
Nordista Freeze: This group truly left a unique impact on the festival. Nordista Freeze is an experimental pop group from Nashville, Tennessee. They performed a funky mix of songs with a variety of originals and covers. Nordista brought out all of the other guests for the festival, including Dillon Basse from flipturn. They played covers that ranged from “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen to “Hold the Line” by Toto. The artist even brought up people from the crowd, and they started moshing on stage. Their set was truly chaotic but so exciting.
Mustard Service: Mustard Service brought high energy as the last artist on the See stage before flipturn. This indie alternative band from Miami had groovy instrumentals and sound. They draw influences from rock, surf, funk, and bossa nova, describing themselves as “zest pop.” The lead singer switched from singing in English to Spanish, making for a memorable set at Playground Fest this year.
The Brook & The Bluff: Straight from Birmingham, Alabama, The Brook & The Bluff brought indie-folk and yacht rock vibes to Playground Festival. The crowd was moving and clapping during the entire set. A part of the band’s name comes from a park where they grew up called Bluff Park, according to frontman Joseph Settine, while the other part is inspired by Mountain Brook in Alabama by drummer John Canada, keyboardist Kevin Canada, and guitarist Alec Bolton. Settine led the crowd in a step-touch during the set. Their music brought the audience together, performing crowd-favorites “Masks” and “Halfway Up.”
flipturn: Since its debut in 2015, flipturn has come a long way. From playing locally in Fernandina Beach, Florida, to playing festivals like Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo, and even performing on the Jimmy Kimmel show. flipturn can always bring out the energy in a crowd, getting them singing and dancing the entire set. They opened with some of their newer songs and ended with some oldies. The crowd cheered for an encore, and the set ended with “Chicago” and “Nickel,” bringing out every performer from the day for an insane performance. This performance made me even more excited to hear their new album, Burnout Days, releasing on Jan. 24.