A Successful Sweetwater 420
Talk about a beautiful weekend in the heart of the South!
Sweetwater 420 Festival is always a good time and this year was nothing short of that. Although I personally only made it out for Sunday of the festival, it was apparent that a great time was had by all throughout the weekend. Friday boasted headliners like The Disco Biscuits and Kid Rock. I can only imagine what type of crowd that brought out! Snap chats from friends looked magical while the sun went down over The Disco Biscuits set and the beautiful city skyline. Kid Rock looked like a great throw back party.
One huge highlight of the weekend was the killer after party lineup. Atlanta has some great small venues that were able to house multiple artists, which catered to varied genres. Obviously, The Disco Biscuits at Terminal West was a hot ticket.
Saturday’s lineup looked much more like the rest of the current festival circuit, in a good way. Rebelution, The Roots, Minnesota, and Bastille all put on great shows – no doubt.
Sunday really had the best daily lineup, in my opinion. A big highlight of the whole festival was Ludacris catering to his home town crowd! This was where it really helps to have a 21 and up festival. Although patrons were definitely enjoying in the company’s specialty beverages, it was nice to not have to deal with an underage crowd. Sunday also treated us to a more underground hip hop legend, Atmosphere. Unfortunately, his set began with an idiot jumping on stage, who paraded around – he seemed like he didn’t know what to do once he got up there – until he tried stage diving. Fans were annoyed that he was cutting into the set time. So, it wasn’t a surprise that no one attempted to catch him from his not-so-epic flight into the crowd. Robert DeLong closed out the Planet 420 Stage with his dizzying live performance. He had at least 3 percussion sets on stage along with a myriad of music making toys! I’ve been a fan of RD for a few years but it still amazes me how much he can do on stage…and how fun his music can be to dance to!!!!
Sweetwater 420 Fest does a good job catering to the hungry southern, diverse crowd. The wide range of music genres was reflected in the food trucks! There were food trucks from all over the southeast with fare from asian noodles to BBQ to frozen yogurt and everything in between! Beer was obviously flowing bountifully throughout the grounds. Sweetwater showcased its staple adult beverages like the IPA, Georgia Brown, 420 and a new seasonal IPA, Goin’ Coastal. One issue I had with the fest this year was finding my Sunday Bloody Mary fix. Last year, there were separate bars for liquor, which included all kinds of fixings. It appeared that this strategy had been altered this year. Beer tents had liquor and pre-mixed margaritas and lemonade drinks. However, Bloody Mary’s were no where to be found. Or that’s what I thought until I reached the VIP area. I found my salvation in the exclusive VIP bar next to the main stage. Honestly, if the biggest hick-up of a festival outing is eventually, successfully locating the Bloody Mary bar in the VIP area…it’s a pretty good festival.
As it has proven in the past, whether the weather is perfect (like this year) or rainy and muddy, Sweetwater 420 Fest is a celebration of friendship, music, and our favorite hoppy beverage. It has been a pleasure to watch this festival grow and become a destination for travelers all across the country. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Atlanta next year at Centennial Olympic Park in April!
