By Danielle Boise
Festival goers fought against mother-nature’s wrath on the afternoon of Friday April 19th, with weather being wet, rainy and downright cold as it marked the beginning of the three-day celebration known as the Sweetwater 420 Festival; which overtook Candler Park in Atlanta for the 9th consecutive year. Known locally as a hippy-festival of sorts, but really it is all about bringing earth consciousness and education to the masses through an entertainment platform, benefiting groups like Chattahoochee RiverKeeper while providing a bit of fun for a free family friendly event.
The festival not only consisted of music on two stages, but amazing food not only providing the normal festival stapes of the likes of funnel cakes and corn dogs, but from restaurants like Bhojanic to Chipolte and for dessert Yummy Cupecakes were there to squash your sweet tooth on the spot.
The artisan’s market provided some of the most talented individuals cross multiple artistic outlets, like Yvonne Miller who is a mixed media artist whose work is not only breath-taking, but tactical in the sense where you know only want to consume with your eyes, but makes you want to devour it whole with your mouth. You can find Miller’s work atwww.fourfootedart.com. To Joseph Oliver Busch who uses spray paint to cover a canvas, bringing pop-art to life through recognizable faces. You can find Busch’s work on www.josephbusch.com. There of course was wearable art, from jewelry to clothing to quirky pieces of art that one could find intermingled with in the tents, like at the Urban Attic tent. You can find Urban Attic at www.urbanatticatl.com.
The Sweetwater 420 Festival brought together the best of funky and psychedelic music on the Sweetwater Main Stage with George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic headlining on Friday night, with Earphunk opening for them earlier in the afternoon. On the Planet 420 Solar Stage Papa Grows Funk brought the funk and free flowing vibe, even though it had been dreary, that didn’t keep the people away from listening to good music with some good beer. Pairing comedy at the Relapse 420 tent where Dad’s Garage performed skits rounded out the fun.
Earphunk
Papa Grows Funk
George Clinton & Parlimental Funkadelic
There was a new experience at this year’s Sweetwater Festival, which provided festival goers 21 and above, with The Sweetwater Experience, which boosted 20 unique styles of crafted Sweetwater brewed beer that patrons could partake in. From year-round beers to seasonal delights, experimental IPA’s to barreled-aged stouts, Dark Tans and a selection of cask ale creations to delight the taste buds. Along with a varied selection of beers to dine on, there were informational, fun panels with the likes of Marc Wisdom from “The Jax Beer Guy” www.jaxbeerguy.com and Ale Sharpton from “Cruisin’ For A Brewsin’” www.alesharptson.com contributing to the discussions ranging on topics, including the impact of social media.
As always, The Sweetwater 420 Festival was a fun filled weekend, with plenty to see, hear and consume. Hope you enjoyed your experience out at this year’s festival and look forward to see you out next year! For more information on The Sweetwater 420 Festival, visit www.sweetwater420fest.com.
