Three days, three stages, and five-star music acts catering for all tastes – think hippies with hoola hoops, toddlers bobbing up and down on Dad’s shoulders, eccentric arty types and hardcore party animals. I was fortunate enough to be fun-employed on my birthday this year, which also happened to fall on the 20th Sunfest at West Palm Waterfront and the Mexican Cinco de Mayo festival. With so many reasons to celebrate, a bunch of us yachties hopped on the Tri-Rail from Fort Lauderdale for a day of fun in the sun.
We kicked off the day by exploring the venue’s three stages where local bands entertained chilled out audiences who soaked up the sun while sipping margaritas. Between the musical performances, we stumbled upon the Juried Fine Art and Craft Show, which showcased over 160 artists’ work and was a pleasant break from the loud music and merciless sun. A wide variety of jewellery, paintings and sculptures tempted my wallet but I refrained from indulging in retail therapy.
The Captain Morgan barge out on the water hosted upbeat DJs who had the crowd mesmerised. With the Captain offering many cocktail concoctions of rum, the floating dance floor heaved up and down with sweaty bodies jumping in unison. This was the warm-up to the main acts, All American Rejects, Third Eye Blind and Girl Talk.
All American Rejects took me back to my highschool days with sing-along tunes. Third Eye Blind was the ultimate birthday present with exceptional acoustic solos and remixes of their well-known hits. The cherry on the top was the inclusion of ‘I feel So Close to You right now’ by Calvin Harris into one of their songs. At one point in their performance, I turned to my friend Denz and said, ‘I think this is the background music for heaven’.
Due to my near groupie status at Third Eye Blind, I didn’t make it to the third stage where Girl Talk’s performance was a great hit and had everyone dancing for the duration of the performance. Hopefully I will catch this phenomenal DJ in the near future.
As Sunfest closed for the night, we headed out to West Palm’s downtown to continue the festivities with live bands at the Reef Rum Bar and then onto Roxy’s Irish Pub. What a great day of music for the soul with great company, sights and sun.
If you are in West Palm, Florida, in May 2013 then make every effort to go to SunFest to celebrate their 21st birthday. As it is a non-profit festival, tickets are reasonably priced for those on a budget. You will not be disappointed. For more information on the SunFest project visit www.sunfest.com
