The Ladybug Festival is a celebration of women in music taking place annually in both Wilmington, and Milford, Delaware. Started in 2012 by Gayle Dillman and Jeremy Hebbel (Gable Music Ventures), the idea was to offer an alternative to the Firefly Music Festival that was focused on local independent artists, and free for the community to attend. Michael and Debbie Schwartz, owners of the popular Shops and Lofts at 2nd & LOMA, engaged Gable Music Ventures to throw a live music block party for their tenants shortly after Firefly was announced. Gable used the timing of the request to put on the first-ever “Ladybug Festival”, featuring an all-female lineup of artists local to the Wilmington / Philadelphia music scene. From 2012 through 2017 the event grew to be one of the most popular in Wilmington, with attendance doubling every year. As the event has grown, Gable Music Ventures has become even more inspired to make an impact on women in the music industry. The Ladybug Festival not only exclusively hires female or female-identifying fronted bands, but we do our best to hire as many women as we can for available positions on festival staff.

In 2018, the event expanded to add a second location in Milford, Delaware about 75 miles south of Wilmington. Both the Wilmington and Milford events in 2018 exceeded all expectations. In 2019 the Wilmington event featured 100 artists over two days, and Milford featured over 40 artists. In 2020, the event was hosted virtually over two days, featuring some of our favorite artists. We were able to include performances from artists originally from all around the world, like Taimane, Vanessa Carlton, Larkin Poe, Eljuri, Luanna, Kechi Okwuchi, Keri Hilson, and KT Tunstall. In 2021, several smaller, yet live Ladybug Festival events were planned including a week-long “Music by Women Week” and a crawl-style event along Market Street, dubbed “An Evening of Music by Women”. With plans for both festivals returning to their respective homes and formats in 2022, with the help of our sponsors, we are super excited to be able to bring a live music festival to you!

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Below are some of the artists performing at the Ladybug Festival:

– The Upstarters present the music of subcultures in a way that resonates with mainstream audiences without sacrificing authenticity.

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– Sug Daniels is a singer, songwriter, blogger, and vlogger from Delaware.

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– Danni Peace is a genre-bending artist pop artist who weaves soul and Indie Rock. Her eclectic style, powerful vocals, and peaceful demeanor have been enjoyed throughout the country.

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– Lefty The Greatest is a rapper. She is known as the Multidimensional Artist. She uses her music and other art forms to express what she went through and to relate to others. To her, THIS IS MORE THAN MUSIC. To her, her message is a movement.

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– Old school poetic rap artist in a young new age Hip hop world.Reality anti-bully female rap artist.

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– Bethlehem and Sad Patrick are a vocal and guitar duo who specialize in songs of love, love lost, and love that would be better off lost.

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– SHAISKAI is a versatile twin duo that can sing, rap, and act. Sisters Shai and Skai are songwriters and have a catalog of self-written content. Shai raps and sings bringing the fun and free Hip Hop flow to the group, while Skai adds her sleek and sweet R&B vibes.

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Brandi and the Alexanders – As the powerhouse vocalist for Brandi and the Alexanders, Brandi’s divalevel range and melodies with plenty of kicks hit the listener right in the gut. Backed by The Alexanders, a funk and soul-influenced rock band, they form a band equal parts gravel and silk. Like fusing Sticky Fingers-era Rolling Stones and Aretha Franklin with a love for 90’s R&B; Brandi and the Alexanders have a sound that is driven and soul-quenching with modern flourishes.

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– She/Her, Singer-Songwriter, Composer, Producer, Actor, Performance Consultant, Instructor, Micro Farmer.

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РGermantown has a reputation for having unique and awe-inspiring musical artists. Reese Florence is no exception with her latest release of demos in March titled D̩mos des Journ̩es Caf̩. Very reminiscent of Lianne La Havas.