SWEETWATER 420 FEST 2014

Friday, April 18th to Sunday, April 20th at Varied by day

Location: Centennial Olympic Park

WE’RE HERE FOR A GOOD TIME.

SHE’S HERE FOR A LONG TIME.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

http://sweetwater420fest.com/

 As The Mist descended upon Atlanta, a rogue storm of bloodthirsty creatures wreaked havoc on this sprawling metropolis, while a small band of citizens fought for their lives held up under the Sweetwater 420 stage. Ok, maybe that was the synopsis for Steven King’s The Mist with some creative tweaks (special credit to IMDB), but none the less, the mist was a minor issue. What it wasn’t an issue for was the spirit and mood of Sweetwater 420 Festival. With great music, a vibrant artists market and a ton of happy people, the festival was in full force despite the minor mist setback.

Our first stop this year was to see our friend, Wesley Cook, play the main stage.  With his smooth sounds of the beach, intertwined with some catchy rock riffs, he was a big hit to festivalgoers. Cook is a dynamic singer, songwriter who has competed in Rolling Stone’s Street to Stage competition, as well as does anything from acoustic small shows to big stage productions. We would say he is a mix of beach fun-in-the-sun, Dave Matthews, rock, and jazz, then top that with his energy and you’ve got Wesley Cook. If you like any of that, you should check him out at http://www.wesleycook.com/.

I’ve never seen anything quite like the Not So Silent Disco Tent.  Heard from across the street, the dance beats filled the air around the tent as tons of festival goers piled into see the rainbow bright girls dance in front of a white, futuristic stage set up dressed up with lights, a hazer, and beach balls. The crowd danced to the beat in time as non-festival onlookers from the fence gazed in amazement. It was probably one of the best things at 420. It was energetic!

On the sponsorship side, Tic Tac blew me away with their neat little set up where attendees could stand in line to get a make-your-own pack of Tic Tacs. They had a large variety of flavors including, light and dark strawberry, peppermint, berry, as well as spearmint. Once the pack was put together you got your very own label. On the other side of the set-up was a place you could take a picture IN a Tic Tac pack. It was pretty fun the only downfall was the long line. The other big sponsor had to be Johnsonville Brats. They brought a really big truck that boasted it was the world’s biggest grill. It looked and smelled fantastic. They were selling large brats for $3 so we tried them. Mm Mm. Worth every bite. They weren’t the only food offering, there were a ton of food trucks scattered about including Mixed Up where you got your food to hair metal tunes, as well as anything from fries to comfort food to fish.

In the paved area of the park, the artist market had it all from jewelry (big watches, my favorite), clothing, artwork, to anything in between.  Beyond that there were two other experiences worth noting and they include the Comedy Stage and the Sweetwater Experience. To get out of the rain or for a little change of pace, attendees could go in and watch a live improve act from several improve theaters all over the city. The other place you could go was the Sweetwater Experience. They had beer pairings with food and a seminar on what is in your beer. Not to mention the specialty beers you could try for a small fee.

Overall, despite the misty experience, Sweetwater 420 was a lot of fun this year. Moving it from Chandler Park to Centennial Olympic park was a stroke of genius and made for a much better festival experience. The lines were a lot shorter and the parking situation was 100% better. We had a great time and are looking forward.