Festival-goers pose on a sign on the lawn at Merriweather Post Pavilion at the 2012 Sweetlife Festival. Photo by Francis Chung.
The salad chain Sweetgreen announced the primary lineup for its annual Sweetlife Festival up at Merriweather Post Pavilion, led by French alt-rockers Phoenix, last year’s emergent hip-hop star Kendrick Lamar, and the art punks in the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
General admission tickets for the May 11 festival, which go sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. to followers of Sweetgreen’s Instagram account (which will post an access code tonight) and Friday for everyone else, are $75—or about 8.3 salads. Pavilion tickets with pit access are a bit more at $95, while the VIP area will go for $150. Tickets will be sold on Ticketfly.com.
As in years past, the VIP section includes catering provided by Rogue 24 chef RJ Cooper, who this year will be joined by Toki Underground toque Erik Bruner-Yang. Other perks include complimentary water, cabanas, and, presumably, all the salad one can handle on a sweaty mid-May afternoon.
Phoenix and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs both have new albums coming out this year, while Lamar is riding high from a breakout year in 2012 that saw his major-label debut good kid, m.A.A.d city win a heap of critical acclaim, including second place on The Village Voice’s Pazz & Jop survey of rock critics.
Also performing at this year’s Sweetlife Festival are the Texas blues rocker Gary Clark Jr.; the sometimes-psychedelic R&B singer Solange; Lindsey Stirling, an electronic violinist launched by a successful run on America’s Got Talent; and Passion Pit, who have apparently cycled around on that faux-indie, safe-for-your-parents’-Hyundai carousel that also includes bands like last year’s headliner, Fundot.
Some D.C. restaurants and food vendors will also be setting up at the festival, including Fresh Farm Markets, Toki Underground, 13th Street Meats, Eco Friendly Foods, TaDah! Foods, DGS Delicatessen, and Everlasting Café. Food trucks parking at Merriweather Post Pavilion for the day include José Andrés’ Pepe, Takorean, and The Big Cheese, while the New York-based food blog Serious Eats will serve up doughnuts, sliders, and possibly legitimate pizza.
