The weather's fine as SunFest ends on high note

Crowds soak up rays and music at festival's finale

By Stephanie Horvath | South Florida Sun-Sentinel

May 5, 2008

WEST PALM BEACH - SunFest couldn't have ordered up a better last day.

A cloudless blue sky and a warm breeze off the water helped the 26-year-old music festival live up to its sunny name on its closing day.

And the crowds that descended on the downtown waterfront Sunday afternoon said they weren't disappointed.

"It's gigantic, it's huge. But it's looking like a lot of fun," said Catherine Malone, a SunFest neophyte from Bergen County, N.J. She decided to check out the event for the first time after hearing about it from friends.

"It's like the Jersey Shore," her friend Emily Giordano chimed in.

"But classier," Malone replied.

Sunday was the final day of the five-day festival that featured big-name musical acts such as Sheryl Crow and Fergie as well as up-and-coming bands. Ticket holders were treated to r&b star John Legend and a finale fireworks show on Sunday night.

Festival organizers said they didn't have attendance numbers on Sunday, but by the afternoon a moderate-sized crowd was milling around, some of them stripped down to bare chests and bikini tops in a nod to the warm sun. Stephen Marley's reggae music filled the air.

Ron Romear made his third SunFest visit of the week on Sunday so he could hear Marley; he also came out Wednesday for Sheryl Crow and Friday for reggae band Steel Pulse. A 10-year SunFest veteran, Romear said he loves the event, even if he didn't think this year's music selection was varied enough.

"I like the music, and I also like the art," Romear said. "I think it's the only city event that brings this many people out."

There was more than just music to entertain. Patrons could buy everything from woven cowboy hats and Macy's flip-flops to hand-painted ceramic platters and silver bracelets. A party company set up a dance floor in the middle of the street, complete with hula hoops, and pop music blasted from three different party barges.

At one of those barges, folks inspired by the real-life musicians performing could sign up for their chance to be rock stars. SunFest organizers held competitions with Guitar Hero, a video game that simulates playing guitar with a live band and rates performances.

That's what Lori Beal and her boyfriend's 13-year-old son, Jimmy Esposito, were doing Sunday afternoon. Esposito planned to play the Kinks' You Really Got Me, and Beal was going to rock out to Cherry Pie by Warrant. They'd just come from playing the game at home.

"We're just trying to have fun. I don't know if we'll win," Beal said. "It's just good, interactive fun. It's not just a video game."

Esposito already got to see the one band he was excited about: Good Charlotte, which performed on Thursday.

"It was awesome," he said.

Stephanie Horvath can be reached at smhorvath@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6643.