Let us just say this, The Sherp and his merry bunch really enjoyed SulaFest 2015 and would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in gourmet festivals. It’s the perfect festival for families, couples or even a bunch of college friends catching up after a long week at the office. After our visit to Nashik’s grand wine and music festival, The Sherp’s compiled a list of desirable and less-than-desirable aspects of SulaFest ’15
Hits
1. The variety of Wine and other alcohol
Held in the midst of a beautiful vineyard, it was only apt that SulaFest made available some of its choicest wines. However, in an effort to cater to non-wine drinkers, the organisers made sure to include other kinds of alcohol. From vodka cocktails to beer, there were tons of choices when it came to drinks.
2. Lucky Ali won the show
Can we just say that booking Lucky Ali for a sunset performance, was probably the best decision SulaFest made? Even though he was technically the headlining gig, Ali raked in a massive crowd at the amphitheater, with fans singalong to every song. This just goes to show, that no matter the amount of international artistes you book, nothing can beat one of India’s finestΒ contemporary musicians!
Another performanceΒ (backed by an Indian vocalist, btw) that was amazing, was Young The Giant’s closing set on the first day of the festival!
3. The Tasting Room
The unintended epicenter of SulaFest was the tasting room, that was bustling with people checking out the wide variety and variations of wine, made available. In addition to that, people could buy relatively reasonably priced bottles from the adjoining area, head up to the balcony and enjoy their alcohol accompanied by a fantastic view of the vineyard.
4. The food, (especially the incredibly economical Belgian style waffles by Cafe Zoe)
What a fantastic spread, you guys. From veggie and meaty sliders, well seasoned burgers, cheesy pizzas, flavourful kebabs to Khow suey, Greasy and delicious Chinese, brownies and of course Cafe Zoe’s delightful Belgian style waffles, the food at the event left no man (or woman) hungry. Like the alcohol, choice was abundant making it the perfect companion to a music festival.
5.Β The Amphitheater
Nothing can beat an amphitheater in terms of stage settings. The SulaFest amphitheater was a perfect setting to watch bands perform, as it was just easy viewing. Whether you were sitting on standing (ample place for both btw) the stage was always in viewing distance. Other festival, should seriously consider building makeshift amphitheaters to make attendees experiences of the music much more enjoyable.
Misses
1.Wine servings didn’t live up
To put it quite simply wine servings at the bars, were way too small. Considering, they weren’t exactly cheap it just didn’t feel like you were getting your money’s worth. The better option was heading over to the tasting room and getting yourself a bottle.
(Image Courtesy :Β instagram.com/mcroops)
2.The fest was a bit too crowded
The reception the festival got was massive. For the amount of tickets the organisers sell, they should seriously consider ways of expanding the venue. At times, it was hard navigating from one stage to another because of the limited space and large crowds.