Shaky Knees is a music festival for all genres of music; from rock to pop, indie to folk, there is an artist there for every age and genre. Shaky Knees was founded by Tim Sweetwood in 2013, making this year the ninth annual festival. This year’s Shaky Knees had headliners that traveled from near and far, even local artists such as Faye Webster to artists traveling from Australia and Japan to perform. Shaky Knees draws in a wonderful community of festival goers that cares about everyone around them. It has become quite an Atlanta gem in its nine years of existence.
The festival hosts a diversity of artists that perform during the three day event. The diversity allows attendees to find their next artist to listen to easier with a wide range of genres. We enjoyed each set that we saw; the crowds at each set were much different than the next. Some crowds were larger than others making it harder to maneuver around. Each crowd had its own personality that allotted for a different vibe for each band.
The vibes in each crowd were great. Many festival goers were easy going, bringing blankets to picnic on while watching their favorite artists.
Shaky Knees provided two massive water stations, plenty of portable restrooms, many bar stations, friendly medical staff, giving festival goers everything they needed. One aspect that was not enjoyed was the lack of hand washing stations around the grounds. It made for a dirty feeling after using the restroom. Hand washing stations should be considered for future Shaky Knees events.
We enjoyed having many places to recycle our cans while having a plastic-free zone at Shaky Knees. There were reusable cups used around the venue with stations to deposit them once finished.
Another enjoyable aspect was the companies that sponsored the event attending and providing activities for the festival attendees. These companies consisted of Toyota, Tito’s Vodka, Jersey Mikes, Verizon and Hazy Little Thing IPA. These companies provided activities for the patrons. Toyota, for example, had a bracelet making and perfume creation stations along with a photo booth to discover your aura. Verizon and HLT provided lounges for all festival goers. These activities, while sponsored, were enjoyable and matched the vibe of the event.
Overall the festival was a success. It was wonderful to attend such an event and we would love to attend again. This festival has room to grow and become a nationally acclaimed music festival like that of Coachella. We hope to watch it continue to flourish while still keeping a small town vibe. On that note, see you next time, Shaky Knees!