Craving something sweet this month? Sweetgreen’s Sweetlife Festival will satisfy that hunger.
Starting at noon on Saturday, April 28, Merriweather Post Pavilion will be hosting the earthy one-day music and food festival for the second year.
The Sweetlife Festival started off three years ago as a low-key event held at Dupont Circle. With a focus on sustainability and green living, the festival stood out among other music fests and has evolved into something bigger.
The music aspect of Sweetlife is always a concoction of rock, alternative, electronic and hip-hop.
This year, the headliners are Avicii, Kid Cudi, The Shins, Fitz and The Tantrums, Explosions In the Sky, fun. and A$AP Rocky.
Swedish DJ Avicii infiltrated house parties last summer and has been praised ever since for his style of progressive electronic music. His hit song “Levels” has become programmed into the brains of fans since its release,
Kid Cudi has been taking the alternative hip-hop world by storm for the past three years now, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be stopping. Since the explosion of his Ratatat-produced single “Pursuit of Happiness,” Cudi has enjoyed the chance to be more experimental with his music, like with his upcoming album, “WZRD,” which will be more on the pop-punk, electronic side.
The Shins have been around since 1996 and have since solidified their status as indie legends. Since their debut album “Oh, Inverted World” was released in 2001, the James Mercer-led group have enjoyed critical success and cult adoration. The Albuquerque-based band released their newest album “Port of Morrow” last week, which was buzzed about for months, in anticipation — especially considering it’s their first album in five years.
Fitz and The Tantrums are a soul-influenced indie-pop band hailing from Los Angeles. The sextet of multi-instrumentalists released their first studio album, “Pickin’ Up The Pieces” in 2010.
Explosions In the Sky formed circa 1999. With six albums under their belt, the influential post-rock group has been doing more than all right since “Take Care, Take Care, Take Care” was released.
The NYC trifecta fun. released their first album, “Aim and Ignite” in 2009, and their sophomore album, “Some Nights” this past February. Their single, “We Are Young,” featuring Janelle Monae, can be overheard playing in a college dorm at least once a day. This month, they sold out two shows at 9:30 club, so they must certainly be fun indeed.
A$AP Rocky, the stage name for Harlem rapper Rakim Mayers, is new on the hip-hop scene. In 2011, he released his mixtape “LiveLoveA$AP,” which quickly attracted an enormous amount of buzz. In addition, A$AP gathered a new crew of fans after opening on tour for Drake.
With a lineup this strong, the festival is hard to resist. And the sugar rush doesn’t stop there, because there will be a surplus of delectable foods.
Local and national companies like Serious Eats, RJ Cooper, Jose Andres Pepe Truck, Shake Shack, Roberta’s Pizza, Smucker Farms, Baked & Wired and Honest Tea will provide tasty, organic food for hungry guests all day.
Tickets for Sweetlife are now available on Ticketfly. There are two ticket options, general admission for $75 and VIP for $125.
The Sweetlife Festival also offers a roundtrip party bus for a low cost of $30. For D.C. residents, the bus leaves from Dupont Circle to Merriweather.
This fest is the perfect way for students to celebrate their last Saturday of the spring semester before the sour taste of finals is in the air.
For more information, visit to www.sweetlifefestival.com.
