Cover photo from SweetWater 420 Fest Gallery
Ahh, 4/20. I’d be lying if I said it was not one of my favorite recognized days of the year. It is a popular time for friends and family to get together for some real chill sessions. Music and other things usually enhance the mood of such gatherings. SweetWater Brewery has hosted its own soiree for over a decade now, SweetWater 420 Fest. Once again, the Atlanta brewery has curated an event to include SweetWater beer, (Earth) sustainability awareness, a 5k, games, live music and much more.
photo from SweetWater 420 Festival Facebook page
SweetWater is one of those feel good companies. Surely they produce a feel good festival right? Of course, not only does the festival have my favorite SweetWater beer (IPA) available, but so many other beers from the brewery. If you are a legal beer drinker, the festival provides enough variety for everyone’s taste buds. Speaking of taste buds, Food Village will be a place to frequent during the festival. The food lineup is to be determined, but some of the best hot and cold foods from around Atlanta will be present to provide munchies for hungry attendees.
Past the beer, the festival provides a great experience on different fronts for the community. The festival and partners leaves their trace by not only working to keep the festival clean during the action, but also tending the grounds before and after the festival. With hands-on workshops, games, art, and laughs for the crowd, 420 Fest provides a positive environment for people of all ages.
SweetWater 420’s 2018 music lineup predominantly represents bands and reggae. Expect plenty of jam sessions throughout the weekend as acts like The String Cheese Incident (2 sets), Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (2 sets), Papadosio, and Umphrey’s McGee will have multi-hour long sets. I do enjoy jam sessions, but I can also go for reggae acts like Stick Figure, Soja, and Tauk. However, Ghostland Observatory is one act I have only heard good things about their shows, especially their lights. Their set is a night set which has the potential to be super cool.
Outside of Centennial Olympic Park SweetWater does have scheduled after parties at a few venues around the city: Aisle 5, Terminal West, and Variety Playhouse. It is a nice way to see some encore acts at the different venues around town. Tickets to these festivities outside the festival are selling out so you better act fast!
Looking for 4/20 plans in the Atlanta area? “Don’t float the mainstream”, consider SweetWater 420 Fest!
