The SweetWater 420 Fest is aiming to return to its “full festival glory” after major shrinkage in 2023. This year, the two-day festival is moving from its own property to the 27-acre entertainment district of Pullman Yards in Kirkwood.
SweetWater, playing off its cheeky 420 reference, will be held on the weekend of April 20 and 21. The 25-act lineup, which in the past has leaned heavily on jam bands, will be announced soon.
The festival for several years drew tens of thousands of fans at Centennial Olympic Park. The 2022 version featured major headlining acts Widespread Panic, the Avett Brothers and Jason Isbell over three days.
The organizers scaled back last year to its own private property without specifically stating why beyond saying in a statement: “Several factors played into this decision, the most important being the safety of our festival goers.”
Credit: RODNEY HO
Credit: RODNEY HO
A more permissive gun expansion law that prohibited gun bans for temporary licenses in public parks may have contributed to the change of venue. Music Midtown at Piedmont Park abruptly cancelled its festival in 2022 but returned last year. Several other festivals such as Shaky Knees and One MusicFest have used public parks as venues without incident.
SweetWater’s move to Pullman Yards, which is privately held property, would not be impacted by state gun laws. Pullman prohibits guns on property except for hired armed guards and police.
This will be the largest music festival to date for Pullman Yards, which will be able to provide far more space than SweetWater’s own flagship brewery property last year. Last fall, Pullman Yards drew about 10,000 people to the Highball Festival with headliners Band of Horses and The Head and the Heart.
The entertainment district, once an industrial complex, opened in 2021 and now has multiple bars and space for immersive experiences, concerts, pop-up activities and film and TV production. Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance” is currently shooting its 20th season there and the Balloon Museum will debut next month.
There will be two outdoor stages and an indoor stage for the upcoming incarnation of SweetWater 420 Fest. Organizers declined to say what the capacity will be. There will also be space set aside for artist and food vendors as well as workshops and a nonprofit village.
“This year’s event promises a reinvigorated experience, making a grand comeback in full festival glory for the first time since 2022,” the organizers said in a press release.
Tickets are on sale at sweetwater420fest.com with early bird prices starting at $196. (Two VIP options are also available.)
Pullman Yards is a financial partner with SweetWater 420 for the festival. “We are excited to be part of such a cultural touchstone and bring it back to its full glory,” said Maureen Meulen, co-owner of Pullman Yards.
SweetWater, the largest craft brewer in the Southeast and now a subsidiary of Tilray Brands, Inc., started the festival in 2005 with a few hundred people in Oakhurst. It grew over the years, moving to the Masquerade, then Candler Park for several years before settling on Centennial Olympic Park in 2014. Last year’s much smaller festival at the brewery itself had 15 acts and around 5,000 concertgoers.
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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