Looking Back on 30A

2014 has come to a close. What a great year for the Emerald Coast! A year filled with festivals, outdoor concerts, charitable occasions, and exciting events. Let’s take a look at some of the memorable events along the Emerald Coast last year. The definition of festival is a celebration of a specific event. Here in South Walton we are all about celebrating so it’s to no surprise we will pair just about anything with festival. First on our list: The 5th Edition of the 30A Songwriter’s Festival! This festival was bigger and better than ever, taking place in the middle of January.

The ever famous 30A provided the perfect setting with lively venues that showcased a wealth of talent. Such diversity displayed on the stage from writers who perform their own music to performers who write their own songs. With 150 songwriters and over 200 performances once again the 30A Songwriter’s Festival was a ‘HIT’! With an array of wine bars in South Walton it’s not hard to see our people have a passion for good wine. What better way to celebrate that passion with a Wine Festival. Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort presented the “Kentucky Derby of Wine Festivals” once again in spring 2014. The Village of Baytowne Wharf completely covered with white tents, big hats, and people tasting amazing wine. It’s always a stellar four day event with live music, culinary experiences, perfectly paired wine dinners, and of course the Grand Wine Tasting.

I can’t wait to taste next years’ event! The summer festival referred to as artistically powerful can only be Digital Graffiti! This is by far the most talked about yearly event on 30A. Watch as art, architecture, and technology collide creating a spectacular scene on the white walls of Alys Beach. Way ahead of its time, Digital Graffiti is the first projection art festival in the world drawings thousands from all over the white sand beaches of 30A. This increasingly popular event with artists, filmmakers, musicians, designers, and celebrities has turned a 1 evening festival into 3 evenings of animation! It will be hard to top last years’ show but I’m sure they will. South Walton loves fashion so we dedicated a whole week to it.

South Walton Fashion Week (SWFW) brings glamour to the beach every year in fall. A whole week full of runway shows, style lounges, pop-up shops, and a blend of emerging designers national as well as local. A panel of celebrity judges and designers as well as all who attend can observe the models on the runway while they show off the latest in fashion. We are sure South Walton has a fashionable 2015 up their sleeve. Fall, fashion, and festival sound so good together! We salute you South Walton for an amazing 2014 and toast to an even better year to come. We can’t wait to see what you have in store for 2015!

Published on Monday, January 5, 2015