SweetWater 420 Fest

The SweetWater 420 Fest is an annual event presented by SweetWater Brewing Company in Atlanta, Georgia held on a weekend closest to Earth Day. The three-day-long festival is known for being one of Atlanta’s most dynamic and celebrated events featuring live musical acts, a stand-up comedy tent, local artist market, Planet 420 non-profit village, a KidZone, SweetWater craft beer experience, food trucks and more. In 2014, the festival announced it would be celebrating its 10th anniversary at its new home in Centennial Olympic Park.

Origin

The first festival began in Oakhurst, Georgia, with 3,000 attendees, as a way for the brewery to bring together all of the elements it was passionate about in one place – music, beer and the environment. Patrons drank SweetWater beer while watching headlining musical act Tea Leaf Green. Two years later, the festival would call Little Five Points' Candler Park home, where it remained until 2013. As of its 10th Anniversary in 2014, SweetWater 420 Festival now welcomes fans to their new home at Centennial Olympic Park in the heart of Atlanta. Environmental awareness continues to have a large presence at the festival, which also features musicians and local artists and vendors.

Activities

As an Earth Day celebration, the SweetWater 420 Festival hosts socially responsibly charities, non-profits and environmental workshops in its Planet 420 Non-Profit Village alongside the live music stages, food trucks, artist market, and beer stations. The festival also hosts an annual SweetWater 420 Fest 5K, in which participants run through the park and surrounding neighborhood in a USATF qualifying course on the Saturday morning of the weekend festival.

Musical acts

From local favorites to national artists, the festival features headlining musical acts each day of the weekend-long event. The number of attendees has grown since the festival's inception, and it has attracted many popular musicians.

2016 festival

• Performers: Kid Rock, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Bastille, Ludacris, Disco Biscuits, Cypress Hill, The Roots, North Mississippi Allstars, Maceo Parker

2015 festival

• Performers: Snoop Dogg, 311, Primus, AER, Gov't Mule, Big Data, Cage The Elephant, MOE.

2014 festival

• Performers: Steel Pulse, Sublime with Rome, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Galactic, EOTO, G. Love and Special Sauce, Wesley Cook, Dirty Dozen Brass Band

2013 festival

• Performers: George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears^[1]

2012 festival

• Performers: Maceo Parker, Perpetual Groove, Donna the Buffalo, The Mickey Hart Band feat. Dave Schools, Soulive, Anders Osborne^[2]

2011 festival

• 30,000 guests^[3]
• Performers: Galactic, Railroad Earth, Arrested Development, 7 Walkers^[3]

References