SunFest 2017 Recap

JUPITER, FL – June 29, 2017 – Founded in 1982, SunFest has become one of South Florida’s biggest events, boasting a full five-day schedule of concerts and art. This year, the nearly week-long waterfront festival celebrated 35 years of sunshine, palm trees, and live music. This year’s headliners included musical acts from all different genres, with everything from EDM superstar Marshmello to the relaxed reggae vibes of Dirty Heads and Ziggy Marley.
 
Sunfest’s opening day was celebrated on Wednesday, May 3rd with a strong schedule lineup that included acts such as Weezer and Snoop Dogg, and guests were welcomed with all sorts of newly introduced upgrades, such as the Chill Zone. This area was previously catered to activities for children, but this year it was a relaxing section for all ages. It remained kid-friendly with face painting and arts and crafts still available, yet the bounce houses from previous years were gone. With all of the extra space on the lawn, SunFest was able to provide room for new vendors and plenty of relaxing seating areas. One of these lounge areas were courtesy of Eagles Nest Outfitters Inc. and Dark Horse Wine. Also known as ENO, this widely popular hammock company boasted a full “Lotus Lounge”, a complete circular structure with colorful ENO hammocks all around the 360-degree construction. This area was designed with SunFest goers in mind, providing a space for rest and relaxation away from the crowded traffic that moves from stage to stage. Another new feature of this area was the creative, industrial looking container bar provided by Dark Horse Wine. Visitors could sample new wines, sit at the bar, or climb the stairs to the “roof top” view of the water and people below.
 
This new lawn area was also the perfect site to sit and enjoy some of the tasty food that was introduced to the festival this year. With over 30 separate food vendors, the options were endless for good eats. There were vendors sprawled across both the North and South lawns, with stylish new décor and signage for all of the booths. The Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival organizers also introduced “The Diner”, a 1950s themed dining experience located in the south end of Flagler. The SunFest app allowed users to have access to each vendor, as well as menu options, making it easy for attendees to have an interactive dining experience on the waterfront, no matter which booth they chose.

This year, there were also big changes in the arts section of the festival. Along with booths set up for artists to showcase their work, there were also a large number of live demonstrations and interactive performances put on by the artists themselves. SunFest clearly showed that their goal was to allow attendees to gain more of a creative experience when it came to enjoying the art, rather than just viewing. With over 60 vendors, the new “Art District” was filled with painters, photographers, unique craftsman, jewelers, and other artistic outlets. Attendees were able to walk through this section of SunFest to shop and enjoy, while engaging with the many sculptures, drawing boards, and other interactive displays.

Perhaps one of the biggest draws of SunFest was the atmosphere. Patrons were able to take advantage of their weekend in the sunshine, while enjoying tropical drinks on one of the three floating bars close enough to the seawall to hear the music. Each bar featured specific drink options based on their sponsors. The Bacardi Bar took up residency on the north end of Flagler, serving rum and tequila, while the SKYY Vodka Bar floated in the center, and the Coors Light Bar was turned into “cold zone” for guests to relax and enjoy beer on the water.

Another event surrounding SunFest is the TGI5k. This 5k run kicked off on the Friday night of SunFest, with the course starting at Palm Beach Atlantic University, running along Flagler, and ending at the entrance of SunFest itself. This walk or run was a great way to start off the festival weekend, and the best part was that registration included admission to SunFest, as well as a beer for all participants at the finish line.

This year’s SunFest saw an attendance of hundreds of thousands of guests from all age groups, continuing to make it one of the most diversified and successful music and art festivals in South Florida. Needless to say, the waterfront festivals new additions have set the bar high for next year’s attendees, making it one of the most excitable annual events in our area. See you at SunFest 2018!