Athfest 2011: A taste of the perks!

Sunday, June 26th, 2011

Of King of Pops popsicles, robots, & hospitality wristbands

Here at Echoreyn of Athens, we're all about the music, but there's actually much more to Athfest than just rockin' bands! Outside of the festival, throughout the year, Athfest Inc. dedicates itself to the promotion of music and arts education in our local area. What a great mission! And even the festival itself features some awesome out-of-show experiences that help make the whole event completely spectacular.

First, I've just got to mention King of Pops popsicles. Saviors of the heat-struck fans, their delicious and incredibly unique flavors left us all craving another taste. During a lull in some of the shows, my friends and I would go gallivanting off in search of their latest location since they tended to park themselves wherever their refreshing creation was most needed.

And hey, if you don't want to take my word for it, listen to my friend Caity who declared her love for the tasty dessert, saying, "if it wasn't going to melt, I would have a long term relationship with this popsicle." Mmm, man, I want one right now!

Another awesome find at this year's Athfest was artist Jason Thomas. Stopping by his tent in the middle of the artist market, Athfest-goers could get a free drawing of a monster or a robot complete with an adorable and imaginative backstory that they helped to write. I'm definitely going to treasure mine forever. What a cool souvenir!

My absolute favorite discovery, however, was the hospitality tent. If you haven't ever considered volunteering at Athfest, trust me, you should! Because I was introducing the band Lingo's set on Sunday, I was given a special wristband that enabled me to enter the hospitality area whenever I needed. Beyond the gates and the wristband checkpoint was an oasis of wonder. Shade, a ton of free fresh food, places to sit down, and all of the cool drinks you could ever need awaited me. Fears of heat exhaustion were a thing of the past! And, if you're in a band playing the festival or you've got yourself a press pass, you can also make the most of this amazing area as well. There's no doubt about it... I'll definitely be volunteering again next year!

For all of our massive coverage of Athfest 2011, from preparation guides to articles on some of the best featured bands and shows, click here! More entries on all the bands and madness of the festival will be posted daily, so be sure to check back often. Plus, you can visit the Echoreyn of Athens YouTube channel for show footage and Athfest vlogs as well!