A music festival headlined by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Two acts received the highest ranking on Saturday at MadSoul, a music and art festival in Florida. The first was Muna, an indie pop group that opened for Taylor Swift during some Eras Tour stops. The second: Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York.

She and several elected Democrats shared a stage with musicians like Phoebe Bridgers at the daylong event in Orlando’s Loch Haven Park. Other politicians included Reps. Greg Casar of Texas and Maxwell Frost of Florida, the first Gen-Z member of Congress.

Mr. Frost, a percussionist, is also the founder of the MadSoul Festival, which he started in 2018 while working as an organizer for the American Civil Liberties Union. He said in an interview before this year’s event that he “personally booked the entire lineup.”

Mr Frost – who played drums for Venture Motel, a local band, during their performance at the festival – described the event as a way to reach people who may not be as interested in politics as entertainment, a concept that has has been spreading since the election of the country’s first reality TV president.

There are “people who won’t go to a political meeting, but they will go to this one,” said Frost, 27, whose district includes most of Orlando. “This is one of the ways we can activate them and connect with them.”

MadSoul Festival followed a script used by organizations such as Rock the mood, but with a decidedly partisan and progressive approach. Some festival tickets were free, while others started at $20, and proceeds from the event went to Mr. Frost’s re-election campaign and to a political action committee associated with him. Some of that revenue went to groups supporting causes like LGBTQ rights and abortion rights in Florida.

A booth selling festival T-shirts and other merchandise had tables where people could learn about community organizations or register to vote ahead of the 2024 election. Musical performances alternated with speeches, some of which criticized recent laws passed in Florida that banned books, limited access to abortion and prohibited discussions of sexual identity in schools.

Other comments focused on gun violence: Brandon Wolf, 35, spoke about surviving the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, and Manuel Oliver, 56, spoke about his son, Joaquin, who was killed in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Another Democratic politician in the lineup, Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr, said in an interview before speaking to the crowd that the concept of “the personal being political” has become banal for some people.

But Ms. Zephyr, who is transgender and who was barred from speaking in the Montana House of Representatives last year for criticizing a bill that would ban transitional care for transgender minors, added: “There is no way our political struggle. for a better country as something other than a deeply personal struggle for each community.”

Before speaking from the stage, Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones said the festival was “very much about celebration” but that it was “also a form of resistance to what’s happening around us.”

Instead of a white suit like he wore last year when he was expelled from the Tennessee Legislature over a gun control protest, Mr. Jones, a Democrat, wore a shirt that read “there is no Planet B.” But what the suit represented apparently influenced Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s outfit choice, who wore a white jumpsuit.

Many of the nearly 3,000 attendees also wore clothing that reflected the political aspect of the event. A number of shirts were decorated with quotes attributed to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; other shirts were about the war between Israel and Hamas with statements such as ‘now a ceasefire’.

But among the self-identified activists, soon-to-be first-time voters and community organizers in the crowd, there were many people who said they were drawn to the festival primarily by the promise of music and art.

Kiana Bartloff, 22, a cast member at Disney World in Orlando, said she came to see Lin-Manuel Miranda. He spoke about community involvement before introducing a performance by a local high school theater company, which performed a medley of songs Mr. Miranda had written for “Hamilton” and “In the heights.”

Ms. Bartloff, who wore a rainbow-striped ribbon and a shirt from the Disney Pride line, described herself as someone who was not “necessarily politically involved.” While music and art might have brought her to the festival, she said, attending allowed her to “hear the message that I wouldn’t otherwise come here for.”

When asked about her shirt, she said, “I obviously have an opinion; however, pride no longer seems to be a political issue.”

Claire Classon, a student at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, said she came to see Muna. Her outfit – a pink slip dress and white lace tights – paid tribute to the band’s song, ‘Silk Chiffon’.

But Ms Classon, 18, who accessorized her look with friendship bracelets, said she was excited by the chance to see Ms Ocasio-Cortez and Mr Frost too. Gun violence was also on her mind at the festival: She said she’s “always worried about it, especially since Parkland.”

A few hours after the event, a protest against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza formed just outside the festival entrance. Groups were involved, including the Florida Palestine Network has accused Mr Frost says he does not support the Palestinians enough. Mr. Frost, who did co-sponsored legislation calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, took the stage during the protest to reiterate his support for a ceasefire.

Later, after the demonstration had subsided, more tension arose within the festival. During Muna’s performance, some Palestinian supporters in the crowd demanded to be allowed on stage. The band, which had expressed support for a ceasefire during the set, stopped playing and walked off stage. About 10 minutes later, Muna returned and finished the set by performing “Silk Chiffon” with Ms. Bridgers as a surprise guest.

Katie Gavin, a member of Muna, said in an interview before the band’s performance that she didn’t think the members — who all identify as queer — have tried to separate their political and musical identities. “We just saw it as one whole, and I think that’s how we developed a fan base,” she said.

She added that the band’s fans have shaped the members’ approach to politics. “They will hold us accountable,” she said, “if we don’t talk about something.”