By Maya Koeppen ’17

Sweetgreen’s annual Sweetlife Food and Music festival is back for its sixth year and its return is planned to be bigger and better than ever. The forward-thinking organic food company will be kicking off its first two-day festival on May 30-31 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD. The festival is set to feature over 22 hours of live music with headliners including Calvin Harris, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, Pixies, Charlie XCX, and Billy Idol.

With the expansion to a two-day festival, the price of lawn tickets increased from $75 to $175. Lawn tickets have been the most reasonable ticket option for many teens who don’t want to splurge on pavilion or VIP tickets. Recently the company released one-day lawn tickets for $97.50 along with one-day pavilion and VIP tickets. These additions came as the result of a limited availability in two-day tickets after growing sales. The overall price increase has sparked backlash across social media as being “not worth it” and has many past festival-goers refusing to return.

Despite the price increase, senior Sabrina Carrillo believes the price is well worth the lineup considering the festival’s length. “The price doesn’t really matter to me … I always spend a lot of money on concerts,” said Carrillo.

Sweetlife is known for its upbeat atmosphere that has locals and even headliners returning year after year. Lineups offer a wide range of genres for both the young and young at heart with past lineups consisting of everything from indie pop headliners to up-and-coming underground bands that have yet to reach Coachella or Bonnaroo popularity. Aside from its lineup Sweetlife is also known for having a variety of tasty yet healthy food options. Last year’s eats consisted of local favorites such as Chia and Toki Underground. Other highlights included veggie tacos, lobster rolls, and pho-dogs. Through its passion for food and music, Sweetlife aims to create an experience that is memorable.

Past festival-goer sophomore Gabrielle Bartolini, although excited by the lineup and the addition of one-day tickets, opted not to go after seeing the increase in prices. “I like bands on both days so I would be sad if I missed a band on one day,” said Bartolini.

While the expansion to a two-day festival led to price increases, the Washington Post speculates that it is a call to bring in people from outside the immediate area in hopes of becoming one of the larger mid-Atlantic festivals. All proceeds benefit the “Sweetgreen in schools” program that educates youth on the importance of healthy living.