Dumbbells and Drama

The gourmet world music festival called Sula Fest started off as an endeavor to create a platform for all Indian music lovers.  Things have changed a lot today as the popularity of this music festival has grown exponentially over the years. Along with seeing stronger sales numbers in recent years the Sula Fest has successfully introduced some of the best artists of the music world to the Indian audience .

“With over 100 artists, more than 25 genres and over 25 gourmet food and beverage options – the festival goes bigger and better this year,” is what Cecilia Oldne, Global Brand Ambassador, Sula Vineyards had to say about this year’s festival.

What did I think of it? There’s a little bit of everything. Read on for fun deets-

sula fest 2016 night

The Good

It’s fun to wake up super early on a weekend and set off on a road trip. It really is! Being the morning person that I am, waking up at 5am on a Saturday to pack my bags and get started by 7:00am wasn’t that difficult.( I do feel the need to mention how I felt sorry for the boyfriend while he tried his best to keep his time. *sigh* )

Pit stops for breakfast, a playlist with my favourite soft rock numbers, a sip of whiskey every now and then and some great company that had the patience to listen to my dramatic stories- the weekend was off to a good start.

sula fest 2016 reached

Camping at Tent City was my first ever camping experience, and boy was it good! For someone who doesn’t like to rough it out but wants to camp (I am sure I am NOT the only one), I think this is more than perfect. LetsCampOut provided us with tents & sleeping mats, blankets, solar lights and portaloos: I’d like to call this comfortable camping for lack of a better term. But for those who think this is a super convenient night-out (oh there were so many who did! It was almost fun to hear them complain) here’s a small warning- you don’t have a brick and cement room/loo or an AC/heater or any electricity around. You will be sharing bathroom space with others. You will be able to hear conversations (and snores) from other tents. Come prepared. Hahahaha.

sula fest 2016 tentcity

Eating hot- dogs at 2:00am, enjoying a glass of whiskey on portable chairs under the stars while a group of slightly drunk campers sang old classics, shivering in the strong wind that blew at 8 degrees while we layered up in all our warm clothes, waking up to sausages, eggs, fruits and cereal : it felt like time had stopped this weekend as we were wrapped in our own little world.

sula fest 2016 night 1

sula fest 2016 in tent

Camping was organised by LetsCampOut, and I have had such a brilliant experience at the campsite that I am planning on a weekend getaway next month to one of their campsites.

Here’s summing up the GOOD

  • Camping at Tent City
  • Shuttle service at Sula Fest : we weren’t left stranded at the parking, thanks to the shuttle service every 5 minutes.
  • Food stalls at Sula Fest : Mainland China! Olive! London Dairy! Woodside Inn! Marrakesh! Maroosh! *sigh*
  • Organization at Tent City
  • The Cat Empire

sula fest 2016 stage

 

The Bad

Though the organization was pretty impressive at the venue, it was disheartening to find the First Aid Rooms manned by volunteers who had no idea what medicines were around. I had a little emergency where I ended up taking the wrong medicine and needed an antihistamine (thank goodness the dosage was minimal) I had to keep shuttling between the Help Desk and First Aid Room as they figured out what medicines they had. While I spoke with the doctor and told him exactly what chemicals I needed he kept giving me other suggestions which didn’t even remotely relate to what I was looking for. It was quite a chaotic mess that could have been avoided had the volunteers been helpful. Also, there needs to be a better stock next time. How can you NOT have painkillers??

Second thing that makes it to the “Bad” – the wines. I have never been a fan of Sula Wines, and I didn’t have any at the fest. Other alcohol was too expensive to be honest, so we did the smart thing and stocked our tents with enough whiskey to last us a cold night.

The Ugly

The crowd. While the packed audience seemed to be enjoying the performances, I doubt it was because they appreciated the music. The wine had a lot to contribute to the high energy levels. Also adding to the pretentious vibe were the attendees who had come just to click good pictures. DSLRs, heels, crop tops and tiaras have become synonymous with music fests nowadays. Well, I won’t deny the cheap thrills I got seeing these kids shiver/fall while leaving the venue at 11:00pm in the cold.

Though this is something I noticed with all the fests that I have attended this season. The focus has shifted from genuine appreciation of music/art/culture to being popular on social media.

And then there was the case of people OD’ing on wine and passing out at 10:00pm. Well, I’d suggest if you’re coming for a wine fest at least read up your basic “How To Drink Wine” manuals so that you don’t end up finishing off 1 bottle & passing out/throwing up.

sula fest

 

The picturesque location of the Sula Fest makes it a must-visit event.But what worked for me was the camping. Music, food, blankets and whiskey/wine under the stars – it can’t get better than this. From what I heard, this was one of the better organized tentcities in the recent fests.

sula fest 2016 fod court

Leaving you with a few pictures (for a change there’s no food here! 😀 )

sula fest 2016 day 1

sula fest 2016 arena
We suck at selfies ^_^
sula fest 2016 breakfast
He was pretty excited about breakfast.

sula fest 2016 day 2

sula fest 2016 bottle

 

sula fest 2016 leave day 2

sula fest 2016 end

sula fest 2016 leave

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