1 of Lake Murray’s 2 Floating Music Festivals Won't Happen in 2022

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There will be no Drift Jam Flotilla Music Festival on Lake Murray this summer.

The event — one of two floating, all-day music events that take place annually on the reservoir — is on hold until 2023, as are all other events put on by Doug Gainey Productions.

The promoter’s portfolio has grown in recent years, as it started the Land Jam country music festival in Lugoff in 2020 and a Santee edition of Drift Jam on Lake Marion in 2021. It also recently announced intentions to throw a 3 Rivers Float Fest in the waterways that converge between Lexington and Richland counties, as well as a Jet Jam intended to feature “live music on a chartered jumbo jet” to Las Vegas and more music once attendees arrived.

Drift Jam, which started in 2014 as DGP’s first festival, typically takes place in June, and finds boats parking in rows emanating out from Spence Island as a variety of artists perform on a floating stage.

“In 2013, when I organized DGP, my sole intent was to create a lake event like no other,” DGP founder Doug Gainey posted to social media Monday. “I had zero experience in the music festival or event management industry and had to learn on the fly. Fast forward nine years and I’m currently in a position with DGP I could’ve never imagined back at the start. I’ve learned so much about this industry during this process and have been very eager to implement the knowledge to better organize, manage, finance and execute large scale events.

“But given my limited time schedule, I haven't been able to fully restructure my events to run more efficiently. Postponing until 2023 gives me the necessary time needed to implement improvements.”

Like many events, Drift Jam canceled in 2020, but came back in June 2021, joining Land Jam in November and its sister floating party on Lake Marion in August as DGP put on three festivals in one year.

Gainey’s post teases that big changes will be coming to both Land Jam and Drift Jam in 2023. For the latter, that means a change in location.

“Drift Jam ... has grown far beyond the limits of what I originally imagined so get ready for a totally revamped festival,” the statement reads. 

“My baby is all grown up so beginning in 2023 Drift Jam will be leaving Spence Island for a new home on Lake Murray.”

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