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Tickets on sale now for the 2026 Palm Coast Songwriters Festival
Get ready for an extraordinary week of STARS, STRIPES, & STORIES (a tribute to America’s 250th Birthday) featuring live musical performances and storytelling as the 8th Annual Palm Coast Songwriters Festival takes center stage from April 22 to April 26, 2026. Featuring an ALL-STAR lineup of over 45 hit singer/songwriters with more than 200 #1 hits, this festival offers an exclusive and intimate experience like no other.
Festival Schedule that includes ALL STAR Singer/Songwriters at every show:
- Wednesday, April 22: Free Preview Show at the Golden Lion Café (4-8 p.m.)
- Thursday, April 23: Free show at Hammock Grill by JT’s (11 a.m. - 2 p.m.), followed by ticketed KICK OFF SHOW at the Daytona State College Palm Coast Amphitheater (4:30-10:15 p.m.)
- Friday, April 24: Exclusive shows at Hammock Beach Resort (11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., members & guests only) and evening ticketed performances at the Daytona State College Palm Coast Amphitheater (5-10 p.m.)
- Saturday, April 25: Bloody Mary Brunch Bash at The Landing Strip Tavern ticketed show (11 a.m. - 1 p.m.), followed by evening ticketed performances at the Daytona State College Palm Coast Amphitheater (5-10 p.m.)
- Sunday, April 26: Grand finale with performances at the Daytona State College Palm Coast Amphitheater (1-6:30 p.m.)
Elite Songwriters and Their Hits
The 2026 Palm Coast Songwriters Festival again boasts a lineup of elite Nashville
songwriters whose work has topped the charts and been performed by some of the biggest
names in music. From timeless classics to today’s chart-topping hits, these writers
span decades of musical brilliance. Here are just a few of the talented writers performing
this year:
- Jeffrey Steele – Known for 85+ top ten hits including "What Hurts the Most" and "My Wish" (Rascal Flatts).
- Jamie O’Neal – Recording artist and songwriter with hits like "There Is No Arizona”, "Somebody’s Hero”, and “When I Think About Angels”
- The Warren Brothers – Writers of "Red Solo Cup" (Toby Keith) and "If You’re Reading This" (Tim McGraw).
- Jimmy Yeary – Writer of "She’s Somebody’s Daughter” (Drew Baldridge), I Drive Your Truck" (Lee Brice) and "Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” (David Lee Murphy & Kenny Chesney). Chris DeStefano – Known for "Something in the Water" (Carrie Underwood) and “At the End of a Bar” (Chris Young featuring Mitchell Tenpenny).
- And so many more!
This Festival also helps raise funds for the Daytona State College Foundation, Flagler County Education Foundation, Gold Star Mentors Foundation, Neighbor To Family Organization, and The Lori Fund which supports various veteran organizations.
Don’t Miss Out!
For more information including a complete schedule, artists bios, and to purchase
your tickets now for this one-of-a-kind musical experience, visit www.PalmCoastSongwritersFestival.com
Expanding the On-Campus Living Experience
Our capital campaign to build a second student residence hall on the Daytona Beach
Campus is underway and you are invited to help our students!
Our first residence hall has been a resounding success, opening to full capacity in Fall 2022. It is remained at full capacity since then, and we continue to receive hundreds of student housing applications each semester.
When we began studying the possibility of building housing on campus in 2018, a study we commissioned showed the college could support more than 500 students. Initial plans for the second residence hall call for approximately 52,000 square feet of space and approximately 256 beds.
We know that students who live on campus are more engaged with their instructors, utilize academic support systems more frequently, and participate more in on-campus activities.
With the DSC Foundation, we’re launching a $16 million capital campaign for a new facility which is designed to house approximately 256 students. Donations from the community will ensure our residence hall will be an affordable and accessible option for students.
We need your support. Make your gift here, or contact the Daytona State College Foundation at Foundation@DaytonaState.edu or by calling (386) 506-3195.
You can learn more at the new residence hall web page and keep tabs on the campaign’s progress.
Honoring Employee Rachel Alter
It’s our pleasure to share that Rachel Alter was recognized this week with a Service Excellence Award during our Senior Executive Staff meeting.
Rachel came to Daytona State with one of the most colorful résumés you’re likely to see. She first arrived in Florida through the Disney College Program as a lifeguard and later worked at Splash Mountain and then at Universal Studios, greeting guests while dressed as SpongeBob SquarePants, Woody Woodpecker and one of the penguins from Madagascar.
Her journey didn’t stop there. Rachel and her father moved to Orlando to flip houses, as they had done in Long Island. When they relocated to Palm Coast, she worked in hotel maintenance, pulling and replacing HVAC units. While on the job, she met a technician repairing the units she removed. He spoke candidly about the opportunities in the field –and that conversation sparked her curiosity, which led her to Daytona State and our HVAC program. It became her first true career – and we are better because of it.
Rachel joined the College as an adjunct during COVID and quickly found what she describes as a close-knit, family environment where people know and support one another – something she had not experienced before in a workplace.
Today, as Assistant Chair of the Mary Karl College of Workforce & Continuing Education, Rachel has redesigned the HVAC curriculum into consistent time blocks each semester, making it easier for students to plan and persist. She regularly works long days not because she has to, but because she is deeply invested in the evolution of the field and the future of the program.
Rachel embodies intellectual curiosity and service excellence. She is studying geothermal applications and emerging industry trends, and she has helped introduce innovations in the HVAC lab so students train on the equipment and technologies they will encounter in the field.
Please join us in congratulating Rachel on this well-deserved recognition and thanking her for her outstanding service and commitment to our mission.
Honoring Employee Matt Kushan
It’s our pleasure to recognize Matt Kushan for his outstanding contributions to Daytona State College.
Matt joined the College in 2022 as an Associate Professor in the School of Photography and Media Studies and, just one year later, was named Assistant Chair of Photographic Technology in the School of Digital Media Production.
His path to Daytona State has taken him from New York to Boston to Pakistan, with experience that includes international exhibitions, program leadership, curriculum redesign, admissions management, and conference organization. Through it all he has remained deeply committed to teaching, advising and creating.
What sets Matt apart is the way he connects with students. Coming from a background where college was not the default path, he understands the hesitation, uncertainty and self-doubt many students bring with them. He meets them where they are and helps them see what they’re capable of – often before they see it themselves.
Matt is also driven to improve systems and is always looking for ways to make programs stronger, more effective, and more responsive to the needs of students and industry. If something can be improved, Matt is already thinking about how to do it.
Recognizing the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence in photography, Matt recently
developed a new course, AI Photography – Image Systems and Expression, which will
launch later this year. The course will prepare students to use AI thoughtfully and
ethically in visual expression, advertising, film design, and storytelling.
Please join us in congratulating Matt on his contributions and thanking him for his
continued commitment to our students and our mission.