By Delaney Taber
As St. Petersburg’s electronic dance music scene continues to expand, local DJs and organizers transform dance floors into spaces of belonging. From waterfront silent discos to art-driven pop-ups, these community-centered events bring together residents, students and artists to celebrate creativity and connection through sound.
One of the most recognizable venues supporting this cultural movement is Jannus Live, a historic open-air concert space in downtown St. Petersburg. Since opening in 1984, the venue has evolved into a cornerstone of St. Petersburg’s music scene, blending major touring acts with rising local DJs and fostering a strong sense of community through EDM events.
Brandon Pescrille, the production manager at Jannus Live, said he had witnessed firsthand how the city’s electronic music community fostered respect and togetherness.
“I think everyone’s very respectful,” Pescrille said. “I just see that now from the side of working in the EDM community and working EDM shows. Everyone cares for each other. They’re looking out for each other. You don’t see that in every community.”
He added that Jannus Live’s atmosphere played a major role in attracting concertgoers who wanted more than a typical club experience.
“I think that for Jannus specifically and if you want to talk about other venues that are outdoors, we can use Red Rocks as an example,” Pescrille said. “They’re kind of staple venues and they’re kind of like landmarks. When a show comes here that somebody wants to see, I think it draws them in a lot more than it does, say, if it was in an indoor venue in Tampa.”
As the venue continued to host more local EDM nights, Pescrille helped expand opportunities for homegrown artists.
“I actually started my own EDM event here,” Pescrille said. “It’s called Bass Oasis. It’s basically a free event for the community and it’s all local DJs.”
Pescrille said Bass Oasis grew naturally from Jannus’s atmosphere of creativity and inclusion.
“While I started it with primarily bass music being the center, I did open it up to house music as well,” Pescrille said. “But it’s really cool because I’ll find an artist who’s local and then they’ll say, ‘Hey, my buddy wants to play,’ or, ‘This guy that I do shows with here wants to play,’ and it just kind of turns into its own event. The lineup gets curated very organically by local artists.”
For many attendees, events like Bass Oasis reflect what made St. Petersburg’s EDM scene special: a sense of openness, creativity and connection that reached beyond the dance floor.
Grayson Schofer, who grew up in the Tampa Bay area, recently began attending EDM events in St. Petersburg and said he was struck by the community’s welcoming energy.
“It’s not just about dancing,” Schofer said. “Everyone’s super kind and accepting.”
He added that the focus on local DJs and inclusive events in St. Petersburg made each experience feel personal.
“It feels like everyone belongs in some way,” Schofer said. “You can tell people care about the music and each other.”
Schofer described an EDM event he recently attended at the St. Petersburg Pier and explained how he enjoyed how the space brought the community together.
“It was really nice to be outside with everyone,” he said. “It felt like the whole crowd was connected.”
Being part of the EDM community had also helped him meet new friends and feel connected to a network of people who shared his interests.
“It’s more than a night out,” Schofer said. “It’s a place where you can be yourself and find people who support each other.”
That emphasis on community carries directly into one of the newest arrivals in St. Petersburg’s dance music landscape, the We Belong Here Festival.
Justin Dauman, the festival’s co-founder, said the idea began when he noticed longtime dance music fans drifting away from the culture.
“We saw firsthand how friends and family of ours who used to love going to festivals more than
anything began to lose interest over time,” Dauman said.
Created during the pandemic, the festival was designed to “bring dancing back into people’s
lives and make it stay there.”
Dauman said the mission behind We Belong Here has remained unchanged.
“It’s to position house and techno as a positive force within a well-balanced life and give people experiences in which they feel they belong — truly as their most authentic selves,” Dauman said.
He explained that the team agreed early on that their events would prioritize visually striking venues, oversized dance floors, 360-degree staging and amenities meant to keep people comfortable, present and connected.
As Dauman and his team spent more time in the city, they felt an immediate connection to its creative identity.
“There is a special magic here,” Dauman said. “It feels like an environment where creativity and community thrive.”
That philosophy runs through every detail of the festival. Dauman emphasizes that a focus on inclusion, intentional curation, community and quality over everything drives how the team selects artists, builds programming and forms partnerships.
“We work with local vendors and makers because we want the festival to feel rooted in the city we’re in,” Dauman said.
The festival’s emphasis on belonging goes beyond simply being welcome.
“Trying to fit in is exhausting and we want people to save all that energy for dancing and truly having fun,” Dauman said.
