WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — For the first time in 4 decades, Sunfest will not be taking over Downtown West Palm Beach; however, the sights and sounds of local music and art are still alive this weekend in downtown West Palm at the 561 Music Festival and Vintage Vibes.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS OF 561 MUSIC FESTIVAL AND VINTAGE VIBES BELOW:
Cheryl Keyes and her husband are taking in the sounds of local musicians and the sights of local art. She says it couldn’t come at a better time.
“We needed this,” said Keyes It's a free music concert, and we need that right now.
She says she’s been to Sunfest in the past, so I asked how she felt about its departure after 40 years.
“It was a lifesaver,” said Keyes. “And especially the way financially, the way the country is right now. We needed this.”
Musicians like Aba Zions, bass player for the Ryan Hopkins Band says it’s refreshing to see local acts get a boost.
“The local scene is what matters the most to local people, it’s people that are here,” said Zions.
And while many are upset at the absence of Sunfest, the organizers of the 561 music festival say, they do not want people to think that this is a replacement for Sunfest, even though it’s on the same weekend and same location that Sunfest used for decades, they say it’s all about highlighting local.
“Think of it as another festival,” said organizer Ben Childs. “It's a different kind of festival. It's for local people. It's by local people. And we just, we're doing it to enrich the community and help grow the music scene here, you know, for the locals and by the locals, by us the locals.”
Just around the corner, people enjoyed their time at Vintage Vibes, a separate event put on by the city and the downtown development authority, which the city wants to hopefully put on for years to come.
“What we were thinking originally was people are so used to Sunfest,” said West Palm Community Events Manager Angela Poco. “Everybody loves it in their hearts of hearts. Sadly, they decided not to come back, but we wanted to give the merchants and patrons who were maybe displaced and looking for something to do, something to do.”
And while it wasn’t the weekend everyone expected, with many in attendance, it struck the right chord.
