BROOKSVILLE, FL (32Today.com) – Sure, the holiday season hits a little different in Florida.
No snowmen. No chestnuts roasting on an open fire. No shoop-shoop-shooping down the mountain through the powder in insulated pants. (And maybe no long pants at all, depending on the year.)
But also: No shoveling the driveway. No chopping four months’ worth of firewood. No having your mitten freeze to your face while you’re trying to wipe your nose hurrying between the car and the store.
And where else in the world can you whip out your camp chair, plop down under the stars on the slopes of a beautiful natural environment, and watch a lineup of some of the state’s greatest performers, all without freezing your fingers (or other extremities) off?
For six years, beloved Central Florida food-and-culture institution Florida Cracker has hosted the Florida Cracker Christmas, a spectacular mix of down-home food and music that makes use of their gorgeous Jack Daniels Amphitheatre in Brooksville.
“It’s a real family-friendly environment,” says Blair Hensley, who co-founded Florida Cracker Kitchen with his brother Ethan in 2012. “It’s just a different experience. It’s a natural rolling hill amphitheater, you just bring a chair, you’re there to break bread with your neighbors and enjoy the evening, especially this time of year.”
Big names have graced the stage here on the regular, from local heroes The Bellamy Brothers and Tennessee singer-songwriter Darryl Worley to rising country hitmaker Jordan Fletcher and grunge radio staple Puddle of Mudd and southern-fried soul outfit JJ Grey & Mofro. But perhaps no nights are more special than Florida Cracker’s annual Christmas spectacular, which not only features once-in-a-lifetime lineups but also benefits local Hernando County nonprofit Operation HeartF.E.L.T., which provides nutritious meals for area children who otherwise depend on school breakfasts and lunches for sustenance.
“Operation HeartF.E.L.T. feeds all the needy, hungry and homeless kids in Hernando,” says Hensley. “They’ve identified around 700 kids who would go hungry without school lunches, and in the summer. We’re proud to have raised something like $70,000-$80,000 to help them over the last six years and give back to the community.”
This year’s Florida Cracker Christmas, scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, is sure to be one for the books. The headliner is none other than Gainesville-bred Sister Hazel, a band that cut its teeth playing bars all over the Sunshine State before scoring big with its 1997 megahit “All for You.” The group continues to enjoy regular radio airplay and performs to sellout crowds nationwide, and they’re returning to Florida to be part of this worthy charitable cause.
In fact, the whole gig is something of a homecoming for Florida acts. Also appearing on the bill are Brooksville native Bronson Arroyo, who enjoyed a 20-year career in Major League Baseball before finding additional success as a songwriter who’s worked with Darius Rucker, along with Webster’s own Bryce Mauldin and Brooks Timmons, who works with Florida’s Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement when he’s not strumming and singing.
“This is like a local homegrown roots concert,” Hensley says. “We’re proud to be part of it, and we don’t want anyone to miss out.”
The Jack Daniels Amphitheatre is located at 966 E. Jefferson St. in Brooksville. Tickets for the show are now available here, including a special VIP option that features reserved seating, VIP tap room access, drink vouchers, a dinner buffet and more.