The town of Marshfield, Mass., had a large collection of unfamiliar faces this past weekend on July 5, 6, and 7. This gathering was not from the usual July Fourth traffic surrounding the cape’s Sagamore and Bourne bridge — it was the annual Levitate Music and Arts Festival, “a community-oriented, family-friendly, eco-driven and eclectic three-day event” curated by the team at Levitate Surf Shop, located just down the road from the Marshfield Fairgrounds venue. 

Levitate was formed in 2003 by Bob Pollard, who wanted to “Spread his love of surfing and skating in Marshfield and through the community.” The store soon grew into a large-scale operation that housed multiple locations. Levitate Music and Arts Festival later became a feature of their brand.

The festival started small in 2013, with 1,500 fans there to celebrate local music and art. Now, a little over ten years later, the festival amasses 15,000-20,000 people.

Previous lineups featured a variety of musical genres, including Reggae (Stick Figure, Collie Buddz, Ziggy Marley, etc); Jam-band-esque (Trey Anastasio of Phish, Umprey’s Mcgee, Goose, etc); Country/Bluegrass/Folk-adjacent (Billy Strings, Greensky Bluegrass, The Wood Brothers, etc); as well as major artists like Jack Johnson, Brandi Carlile, and Phil Lesh. 

This year’s lineup didn’t shy away from Levitate’s theme of roots music, featuring Mt Joy, Lake Street Dive, and Sublime (with original members Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh featuring Jakob Nowell) as headliners.

Levitate puts on more than just performances. The local festival takes attendees on school bus “shuttles” to the fairgrounds and artists paint large-scale murals just past the entrance.

Doors open at 12:30 p.m., and music starts half an hour later, until 10 p.m. each evening. This year’s setlist featured a diverse group of artists, including a debut New England performance from country music singer Oliver Anthony, alternative R&B artist Tash Sultana, country and outlaw music star Charley Crockett, lead guitarist of Vulfpeck Cory Wong, and big reggae acts like Dirty Heads and Iration. 

The festival also included an exclusive surprise VIP performance from indie pop band Ripe led by vocalist Robbie Wolfshon.

“[Ripe] has formed a loving relationship with the crowd at Levitate,” Wolfshon said in an interview with The Beacon. “It’s fun to do something out of the ordinary.” 

Wolfshon walked around the festival minutes before their set. He took questions and held conversations with fans as he set up his microphone.  

Ripe performed their standard repertoire for their 2024 tour, such as songs like “Downward” as well as their cover of “Lola” by The Kinks, which got the attention of listeners who began singing along to all the lyrics.

A second VIP performance by Jam-band legend and former frontman of the band Twiddle, Mihali — currently working on a Reggae-inspired solo career — pulled no punches; layering guitar riffs and bass lines over beatboxing to creating his songs from scratch and accompanying the beat by singing, rapping, or with an electric guitar solo.

Mihali also joined other musicians on stage throughout the day, jamming with the likes of Mark King, G Love and Special Sauce, Joe Samba, and The Elevators, who, like the crowd, welcomed him with open arms.

While the menu was full of musical morsels, it was Sunday’s headliner, Sublime, who truly stole the show. 

The band certainly rings a bell for fans of this music, but the headline Levitate was most significant to their avid listeners. 

Fronted by Bradley Nowell in the ‘90s, who gave the group its iconic sound, the band disbanded in 1996 when he passed. 

But in 2009, former band members Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson collaborated with singer and guitarist Rome Ramirez to create Sublime With Rome, which grew a steady following that exploded in 2023 when Gaugh and Wilson announced they were teaming up with Bradley Nowell’s son, Jakob, to officially reform Sublime.

Since then, the number of Sublime shows has been scarce, with Levitate being only the ninth show played by the new lineup. Levitate also featured the live debut of the new lineup’s first release, “Feel Like That” featuring Stick Figure, as frontman Scott Woodruff took the stage to a roaring reception.

Cheers erupted as fans of all ages celebrated the musical comeback by opening a gaping mosh pit for “The Ballad of Johnny Butt” and “Doin Time.” As the set wound down, Nowell told the Levitate crowd, “We have one more song, we couldn’t possibly forget about you” — ending the festival with everyone screaming the lyrics to Sublime’s mega-hit “Santeria.”