After their first Woodstock Benefit Concert raised $9,000 for St. David’s Jubilee Pantry’s generator, the Artist Colony formed as a nonprofit in September 2025. Buoyed by that success, they grabbed Sundays for events and rolled out a Beatles Tribute and a second Woodstock concert in the spring of 2026. 

When cold weather hit, they shuffled the schedule, moving the Beatles Tribute from February to March and shifting Woodstock to April. That’s also when they debuted a food court, with Charlie Foxtrot Brewing on board for adult drinks. The second Woodstock Benefit drew in so many families that for the next season, the Colony added a Kids Korner with lawn games.

This year, they’re running two sets of three Family Festivals, each with concerts supporting Lemon Bay High School Marching Band and St. David’s Jubilee Pantry. Donors and patrons get IRS confirmation letters, and all festivals include an Art Market and the Kids Korner, which opens at 10 a.m. Food and cash donations start at noon. Volunteers can join at any time.

The fall series begins with Oktoberfest on October 25. The Food Court offers a packed selection including German Snack Bar, Sip Sip Hooray Garden Café, Outside the Lunchbox, Dave’s Neapolitan Pizza, Blacken Blues BBQ, The ‘Q’ Ice Cream Truck, and The Twisted Lemon. German entertainment kicks off at 1 p.m. Then the Benefit Concert starts at 4, featuring Stardust Band and Corrupt Signal.

On November 22, the Wizard of Oz-themed “There’s No Place Like Home” festival honors servicemen, veterans and their families. Musicians can take the open mic to share their name and branch or dedicate a song to someone who’s served. Along with the Kids Korner, the Colony is hosting a Korn Hole Tournament matching veterans with ROTC students, and veterans will get to pick a kiddo to compete with them. Every kid representing a veteran in the tourney gets a participation medal. Food Court expands, with Casa Uruguay joining the mix. Rising Tide and The Old Glory Band headline the benefit concert, starting at 4.

The Holiday Showcase wraps up the season on December 6. Alongside art and kids’ activities, musicians are welcome to play in an open mic session, with plenty of seasonal music. The headliners for the benefit show are still in the works.

Director Sydney Martin says, “Becoming a nonprofit, we immediately planned to create more benefit concerts for specific causes.” Sydney is rounding up artists, musicians, and performers for future events. 

If you want to get involved, reach out at i2garden@yahoo.com. The Artist Colony in Englewood is all about supporting the arts, visual, musical, and performing alike.

For more information, click here for their Facebook page.

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