Brandy Sumner is an anthropology and English junior and this summer's music and performance reporter. This is their first semester working at the Alligator. In their free time they enjoy playing guitar, reading and writing.
Throughout the city, Gainesville overflows with music of every style and taste. This list highlights music venues of various genres across Gainesville.
“Florida/Woman” is about Carter’s personal experience and those of many other transgender people in Florida. The exhibit portrays the ache of a growing dilemma: The state she loves and calls home no longer feels safe, but she’s unwilling to leave because of that love.
“Hadestown: The Musical,” a live theater capture film of the production, released on Friday. The movie will be shown in theaters for a limited five-night run.
In May 2025, Gainesville Community Playhouse announced it would be putting on its own production of “Heathers: The Musical,” an adaptation of the 1989 film following Veronica Sawyer and her murderous boyfriend JD as they navigate high school. The GCP production opened July 17 and runs through Aug. 9.
Every corner of First Magnitude Brewing Company bustled with food trucks, musicians and vendors to celebrate Swamp Boogie III on Saturday.
Emerald Scarab, located at 903 NW Sixth Street, celebrated its grand opening July 12 after a month of being soft-open.
Heartwood’s indoor stage filled to capacity on Sunday evening as patrons tuned into the venue’s first Protest Song Writing Contest.
Country music, conversations and the smell of searing burgers filled the air on Wednesday as DJ’s Cast Iron Burgers served customers from its brick-and-mortar location for the first time.
Her first independent single, “Farmhouse,” is set to release July 10. The song is about her dream of getting married and moving to a farm.
Crimson, a local college student band, began recording its newest album, “Cowabunga,” at Pulp Arts recording studio in March and is planning its official release mid-July.
Actors Layla Edwards and Jose De La Cruz perform as characters Veronica Sawyer and JD in Gainesville Community Playhouse production of Heathers: The Musical.
Ryan Malone, owner of RM Glass, glass blows at Swamp Boogie III at First Magnitude Brewing Co. in Gainesville, Fla., on July 18, 2026.
Tattoo artist Bibi Cascio draws a flower on Hannah Barbakoff's collarbone at Emerald Scarab Tattoo Parlor in Gainesville, Fla.
Student couple Titan Wojciak and Sofia Ortiz pose in front of their new brick-and-mortar location for their coffee shop Brewing Thoughts in Gainesville, Fla., on June 24, 2026.
Emily Westerholm, the founder and executive director of Released Reentry, recites a poem at an Open Mic Poetry Nights event at Released Reentry in Gainesville, Fla., on June 10, 2026.
A Juneteenth flag is raised in front of City Hall in Gainesville, Fla., Wednesday, May 20, 2026.
Solutions by The State News
