Promising a bigger and better event this year, Sula Vineyards from Nashik upped the fun quotient with as many as 10,000 people attending annual music and gourmet ‘Sula Fest’ that was held on February 1 and 2, 2014. Like every year the Sula Fest was held on the 1st weekend of February wherein almost 10,000 people from Nashik,Pune,Mumbai attended the fest.
The 7th edition of the event, apart from having an excellent music line-up also promoted social awareness by motivating two local NGOs – Sharan, an NGO for animal welfare and ‘I Make A Difference’ (IMAD), the organization working towards educating slum children. Besides, blind masseurs who came from Mumbai, from a foot spa called ‘Metta’ that employs blind people were given an opportunity to showcase their masseuse skills within the fest area.
From among the various attractions at the festival, performers like Gypsy All Stars who very interestingly combined Latin and Rajasthani folk music and London dub, big beat band Dub Pistols set the crowd rocking to their music.
Some Indian performers like Malayalam rock band Avial; Susheela Raman, Sufi artist Wineet Tikoo, R&B band Baycity Lights as well as fusion artist Vasuda Sharma showcased gripping music that also sent the audiences on a roll. For electronic music lovers, a separate electro zone, that was a hit in the 2013 edition of the fest, was a special treat with DJs like Gaudi and Anna churning some foot-tapping compositions.
Another unique feature was the ‘Tent City’ with about 100 odd tents put up for fest-goers giving them an exclusive experience of staying among the vineyards during the festival time. The Sula bazaar at the festival was also a favorite among the women with several people shopping for Sula Fest merchandise, jewelry, bags and wine accessories along with some quirky coasters and carry-alls.
SulaFest partygoers can expect a megamix of great music, wine, drinks, food, fashion and shopping in the idyllic 
environs of the winery’s beautiful open-air, Greek-style amphitheater. This year SulaFest witnessed a stylish new element of cool, edgy fashion. VERO MODA launched their young, fast fashion high street denim brand – Noisy May. An additional treat for partygoers at the fest this year was a-not-to-be-missed exceptional fashion show with India’s top models.
An aspect that especially marks out the festival is that slowly and steadily it is growing into a family fest with a number of families from Nashik and other cities having a good time together here. This is because of the exclusivity that the vineyard maintains. From only about a couple of hundreds to thousands of people, Sula Fest today has definitely helped Nashik grow by leaps and bounds, bringing in several tourists. They not only come for the festival but also to bask in the beautiful weather and peaceful atmosphere of the city.
Such festivals help them generate awareness since a lot of youngsters attend it. Besides, adoption and donation is another advantage of having a stall at events like Sula Fest. About 12 local youngsters came to volunteer.
The artists were also very appreciating of Nashik. The crowd attending this festival in Nashik was quite responsive and fun-loving; besides, the weather of the city was apt for them to perform.
