Music
GroundUp Serves Up Spontaneity At Festival’s Family Dinner

The GroundUP Music Festival introduces a new format to its lineup called “Family Dinner Weekend,” which features a variety of well-known collaborators in the mix at the Miami Beach Bandshell on Saturday, Feb. 8 and Sunday, Feb. 9. (Photo courtesy of GroundUP Music Festival)
The GroundUP Music Festival is a reflection of Miami’s multicultural essence, reuniting virtuoso musicians from around the world at the North Beach Bandshell. For the past nine years, it has served as a space for artistic exploration and collaboration, offering an alternative to the typical festival experience.
Now, in times when community, culture, and art seem more important than ever, GroundUP Music Festival is evolving. The event—founded by Michael League (Snarky Puppy) and Paul Lehr—introduces a new format: “Family Dinner Weekend” inspired by Snarky Puppy’s Grammy-winning “Family Dinner” albums.

Legendary Senegalese musician Youssou N’Dour will be performing on Sunday, Feb. 9 (Photo courtesy of GroundUP Music Festival)
GroundUP Music Festival is on Saturday, Feb. 8 and Sunday, Feb. 9 at the Miami Beach Bandshell.
“This festival has always been about discovery,” says League. “We’ve stayed true to our mission—giving space to incredible musicians rather than chasing big names. “The Family Dinner” format allows us to embrace that even more.”
Since its inception, GroundUP has aimed to break barriers between artists and audiences, offering an alternative to the large-scale, corporate festival model, according to its founders.
Lehr, the co-founder and CEO, a Miami Beach native, and former CEO of YoungArts, recalls how the idea was born from a desire to foster deeper connections between musicians and fans.
“I don’t love big festivals—getting lost in a crowd, running between stages, greasy food. That’s not what we wanted,” says Lehr. “We built this to be small and intimate, where artists and audiences truly interact. You can sit with musicians, learn from them, and maybe even see them play in a way they never have before.”

GroundUP Music Festival bills itself a celebration of music and culture. (Photo courtesy of GroundUP Music Festival)
That ethos has resonated beyond Miami. Despite being a boutique festival, GroundUP has attracted audiences from 49 states and 54 countries and helped contribute to the county’s economic impact while maintaining its artist-first approach. But local attendance remains a challenge in a city where mainstream pop and electronic music dominate.
“We’re fighting the good fight,” says Lehr. “Miami needs this kind of festival—one that showcases incredible, globally diverse music in a way no other event here does.”

Since moving to Los Angeles from her native Guatemala, Gaby Moreno has released nine albums and won a Grammy for her project X Mí (Vol. 1). Moreno performs Saturday, Feb. 8, at GroundUp. (Photo courtesy of Lana Mack)
This year’s “Family Dinner Weekend” presents a rich mix of artists. Each night, Snarky Puppy will host “Family Dinner sessions,” bringing an array of guest musicians to the stage in real-time collaborations, including: Youssou N’Dour, the legendary Senegalese singer Rolling Stone once called “perhaps the most famous singer alive” in Africa; John Scofield, Bill Frisell, and Eric Gales, three of the world’s most influential guitarists; Lisa Fischer, Shayna Steele, and Madison McFerrin, powerhouse vocalists who have worked with legends like The Rolling Stones, Rhianna, and Bobby McFerrin; and Gaby Moreno, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter blending blues, folk, and Latin influences.
For League, this kind of variety isn’t just a draw—it’s essential to the creative process. “Musicians need inspiration,” he says. “Bringing in fresh collaborators keeps the energy alive, both for the artists and the audience.”
For N’Dour, who is also working with League as the producer for his upcoming album, “Eclairer Le Monde (Light the World),” collaboration is second nature. “I’ve spent my life blending traditions with new sounds,” he says. “Michael is a visionary. I knew he was the only person I wanted to produce my new album.”
“The Family Dinner” concept creates a unique challenge—many of these collaborations come together with plenty of spontaneity and with little rehearsal. For Ryan Haft, a Miami-based sound engineer and producer who has worked on Snarky Puppy’s tours and recordings, this spontaneity is part of what makes GroundUP special.
“From a sound perspective, you have to be ready,” says Haft. “We try to leave like a bunch of extra channels open, readily available for people to come up and play. It’s eclectic, but that’s what makes it feel alive.”
Haft, who has worked with Snarky Puppy both on tour and in the studio, is no stranger to large-scale productions. He recently engineered the band’s upcoming album, recorded live with the Metropole Orkest, a 56-piece orchestra in the Netherlands. But despite the technical complexity of that project, he finds something equally rewarding in the rawness of GroundUP’s live collaborations.
“You don’t get this level of cross-genre collaboration at most festivals,” he says. “I think it ties into the culture of Miami, being such a melting pot of different ethnicities and cultures, and GroundUP mimics that in a way, you have a music festival with all kinds of different music from all different places of the world”.
Beyond the music, GroundUP has championed the idea that art can be a unifying force. For League, that message is more important than ever.

The John Scofield Trio takes part in the Family Dinner jam on Sunday, Feb. 9. (Photo courtesy of Nick Suttle)
“There are so many forces working to divide people at this time in our nation’s history,” he says. “Music, and art at large, are great unifiers. When we witness beautiful music, we feel a sense of community. We feel love, joy, and hope. And I don’t think anyone—on either side of the aisle—would say those things aren’t in great demand right now.”
N’Dour, whose music has long carried messages of social change, echoes that sentiment. “The world has changed since COVID,” he says. “We have different emergencies now. We need to focus on what we can give to the world. With this upcoming album and this festival, I want to bring light.”
With a mix of workshops, masterclasses, and intimate performances, GroundUP serves to be more than a festival but a space where artists and audiences come together.
“If you love music, this is where you need to be,” says Lehr. “You won’t just hear incredible performances—you’ll connect with artists, discover new sounds, and be part of something truly special. And it’s all happening right in Miami’s backyard.”
WHAT: GroundUP Miami Beach: “Family Dinner Weekend”
WHERE: Miami Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
WHEN: 1 to 5:30 p.m., workshops and masterclasses, 6 to 11 p.m., music sets, Saturday, Feb 8; noon to 4:30 p.m.; noon to 4:30 p.m., 5 to 10 p.m., music sets, Sunday, Feb. 9.
COST: Day passes: $95, two-day passes, $180; premium passes, $160; two-day premium passes, $290. Late night shows, $30 or two night passes for $50. All in pass $650. More details here.
INFORMATION: For the complete schedule, go to groundupmusicfestival.com
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