Sam's Club® and Five Flags Tourism Group Present Major Music Festival and America's Original Beach Party - De Luna Fest Music Festival - Friday, Saturday and a Free Newly Announced Sunday Oct. 15-17th

PENSACOLA, Fla., Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Five Flags Tourism Group is proud to announce Sam's Club as official Presenter of De Luna Fest.  Headliners Bush, Daughtry and Dierks Bentley have all been recently added to the De Luna Fest line-up to an already impressive list of performers for its inaugural year including performances from Stone Temple Pilots, 311, 30 Seconds to Mars, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Paper Tongues, The Submarines, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Bravery, Rebelution, Better than Ezra and many more. Additional headliners and performers are yet to be announced for a newly added third festival day.  Tickets purchased for the two-day festival will now extend to include the third day.  Area hotels will be given a quantity of tickets for the festival to distribute to their guests.  The third day of the music festival is free to the public; however, tickets will be necessary.  Tickets will be released at the De Luna Fest Web site.  Details will be made available at http://www.delunafest.com in the near future.

The three-day festival, now scheduled for Fri.–Sun., October 15-17, will feature musical performances on three stages directly on Pensacola Beach fronting the Gulf of Mexico. De Luna Fest will be the first major music festival in the Pensacola area in more than four years. In the midst of the oil crisis, the Pensacola area, especially the beach community, has suffered terribly from an economic collapse. The plan for the De Luna Fest was created well before the Deepwater Horizon Spill. In the wake of what has been described as "the worst environmental disaster in our nation's history," the festival organizers have made the decision to continue on with the music festival.

"We are thrilled we can support De Luna Fest and the Pensacola community with this event," said Shane Jeter, market manager, Sam's Club. "We want to do all we can to support area small businesses and residents impacted by the oil spill as they look to the future."

"There will be something here for everyone," said Nick Bodkins, festival organizer, Five Flags Tourism Group (FFTG). "We're bringing amazing live performances to our area with ticket prices that will encourage people of all ages to support Pensacola Beach while having fun. The beach needs our support now more than ever. Small businesses on the beach need this festival. We will do whatever is necessary to make this festival happen, and the community is working hard to clean up the beach and keep it beautiful."  A portion of De Luna Fest's ticket sales will be donated to various ecological endeavors including the Emerald Coast Keeper (http://www.emeraldcoastkeeper.org), ensuring the health of the beach for generations to come, and the Gulf Coast Energy Network (http://www.gulfcoastenergynetwork.org/), working to move the nation towards the goal of improving energy efficiency in the workplace and at home.

"This area has been hoping for a festival like this for years," said Scott Wheatley, FFTG partner and festival producer. "Bring your beach chair, stake a spot in the sand, and be ready to have a great weekend on Pensacola Beach. Also, for us to offer a third day for all of Pensacola at no charge and to bring in big acts is absolutely amazing."

With performances taking place on three stages including two main stages on the beach, De Luna Fest will feature music across all genres. Festival organizers are working with area restaurants to feature outstanding local cuisine in the bazaar, "Ariola Food Market."

Festival tickets were made available online starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 6th at delunafest.com, and discount tickets are available at Seville Quarter in Downtown Pensacola and at The Bridge Bar and Sunset Lounge in Gulf Breeze. The advance ticket prices are $80 Online for a weekend pass and $75 weekend discount passes are available in person at Seville Quarter and The Bridge Bar and Sunset Lounge. VIP ticket-and-travel packages start at $275 and will be available online or by phone at 888-9DELUNA.

Two popular Innisfree hotels—The Hampton Inn Pensacola Beach and The Hilton Pensacola Beach—are offering De Luna Fest accommodation packages—a two-night hotel package with tickets for two to DeLuna Fest. Hotel packages are available by calling 888-9DELUNA or visiting delunafest.com.

Confirmed Line-Up

• Stone Temple Pilots
• 311
• Bush
• Daughtry
• Dierks Bentley
• 30 Seconds to Mars
• Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
• Paper Tongues
• The Submarines
• Michael Franti & Spearhead
• Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
• The Bravery
• Rebelution
• Better Than Ezra
• Cowboy Mouth
• Neon Trees
• Matt Kennon
• Blackberry Smoke
• Benjy Davis Project
• Pico vs Island Trees
• The Gills

This is the official final line-up for the De Luna Fest.  Line-up is also available at www.delunafest.com.

About De Luna Fest

De Luna Fest is the official 50 year countdown to the 500 year anniversary of Pensacola, America's first settlement.  The festival will celebrate Pensacola's history and heritage by reviving De Luna's original American beach party held in 1559.

After 450 years, the first American beach party will begin again.  De Luna Fest will educate the region about Pensacola's rich history and attract thousands throughout the Southeastern United States and beyond to visit Pensacola Beach.

The primary business goal of the De Luna Fest is to stimulate Pensacola's tourism industry, an industry shattered by the Deepwater Horizon Spill.  Pensacola's economy relies heavily on service industries.  FFTG believes that the De Luna Fest's October dates will lengthen the regular tourist season and directly increase revenue for a large portion of the Pensacola area economy just when the community needs it most.

About Sam's Club

Sam's Club is a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., (NYSE: WMT). The first Sam's Club opened its doors in Midwest City, Okla., in 1983. Today, Sam's Club serves more than 47 million U.S. Members with locations nationwide, as well as in Brazil, China, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Sam's Club saves its members on average 30.4 percent over grocery and specialty retailers by offering superior values on quality merchandise and services for home or work. Saving is made simple at Sam's Club. Visit samsclub.com for more information.

SOURCE De Luna Fest