SweetWater Brewing Company hosts their 20th annual 420 Fest this weekend at Historic Pullman Yards, boasting a lineup of well-known bands like Marcus King and The Revivalists and new viral artists like Grace Bowers. At a milestone in its career, 420 Fest (named after SweetWater’s famous 420 Pale Ale) aims to provide a holistic experience for attendees and serve the community through sustainability efforts, continuing to cement SweetWater as one of Atlanta’s most iconic brands.
Instrumental to the festival is Evan Woolard (BA ‘11), Senior Brand Manager for SweetWater Brewing Co. He traces his inspiration for taking on this role to the fun memories he made at 420 Fest when he was a Tech student.
“I was a student for more years than I care to admit at Tech, and 420 Fest was always something that … was kind of like our last big hurrah before finals. My friends would go off and get jobs in different cities, but we all came back for 420 Fest. That was when I first fell in love with the brand and with the festival,” Woolard said.
Woolard got his start in the marketing world as a media intern for Georgia Tech Athletics. Now, he manages SweetWater’s public image, along with one of the largest music festivals in Georgia. In one day, he could be managing local vendor accounts, discussing new brews with engineers who manage their complex pilot system and posting on social media about a new SweetWater collab. As someone who wears many hats, Woolard says that one valuable lesson he takes from Tech is never to be the smartest person in the room.
“I learned this on day one in [the] Towers dormitory — I’m probably the dumbest person on this floor, but everybody around me is so unique and brings so much to the table that if you just listen, you will learn a ton,” Woolard said.
With classic Georgia bands like Linqua Franqa and Drive-By Truckers, 420 Fest continues to uphold its reputation for uplifting Atlanta’s jam band scene. The festival also continues its annual tradition of hosting a battle of the bands for newer artists to get some exposure to the Atlanta music scene. This year, emerging alternative rock band Honeyknife came out victorious.
As music festival attendance continues to decline nationally, festival organizers are finding new ways to engage their communities. For 420 Fest, Woolard says that SweetWater is focusing on sustainability and enriching the festival experience. For each ticket sold, SweetWater donates $10 to Waterkeeper Alliance, an organization of volunteers who maintain and protect over 5.9 million square miles of waterways. They also launched a new VIP stage this year, entirely powered by solar energy.
Woolard says that 420 Fest will engage with more than just the music this weekend, and he and his team have organized multiple local partnerships to offer new and exciting experiences to festival goers. To ensure safe and reliable transportation to and from the festival, 420 Fest has a bike and e-bike valet station, and the team partnered with MARTA to maintain a protected path between the festival and the Edgewood-Candler Park station. Woolard says that after noticing a lot of families in attendance last year, the festival partnered with Atlanta United this year to create a Chill Family Zone with child-oriented amenities and a space to watch Saturday night’s game versus Philadelphia.
“What makes [us] SweetWater is a passion for great music, great beer, the environment, and the 420 lifestyle. … So we want to enrich the experience not just with music, but beyond music,” Woolard said.
Single-day tickets are still available at sweetwater420fest.com.