ARTS AND CULTURE
Already considered one of the biggest R & B , soul and hip-hop music festivals in the country , the expansion of Sol Blume from its pre- COVID 2019 version was still stunning to witness .
A celebration of “ love , peace and happiness ,” as festival organizer Chaez Boswell described it , Sol Blume grew from a one-day festival at Sacramento ’ s Cesar Chavez Park in front of around 8,000 people , to a two-day , multi-continent draw at Discovery Park ’ s wide expanse located just off Interstate 5 outside downtown Sacramento . The 20,000 fans who arrived each day were treated to 40-plus diverse artists on two stages , as well as other unique experiences such as a butterfly house , a silent disco roller skating rink and spots for yoga and meditation .
“ I ’ m from Sacramento , so it ’ s surreal right now !” Danielle Scales , who performs as Yelly , gushed to the sunshine-kissed crowd after her Saturday afternoon set .
Capital Region businesses , in communities large and small , are anticipating the full return of music and arts festivals in 2022 after , in some cases , three years of COVID-19-related lockdowns . And they couldn ’ t be happier .
From small town arts festivals to mega rock shows like Aftershock , cultural events are needed revenue sources for local communities and attract large numbers of out-of-town visitors . According to Visit Sacramento , Aftershock alone brought in an estimated $ 30 million to the local economy in 2021 .
“ We definitely felt the impacts of not holding these events the past few years ; the town seems very empty without them ,” says Lynn Skrukrud , events manager with the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce , whose city plans to benefit from several returning events in 2022 . “ They are all so special and they light up our community in a lot of ways .”
Continuing events and concert series , like Sacramento ’ s Concerts in the Park ( through July 29 ), Aftershock ( Oct . 6-9 ), Broadway at Music Circus ( June 14-Aug . 26 ) and the Quarry Park Amphitheater concert series in Rocklin ( through Oct . 1 )
An exuberant crowd dances in front of Sol Blume ’ s Blessed Stage in Discovery Park on April 30 .
complement offerings debuting in 2022 , such as Rancho Cordova ’ s California Capital International Documentary Film Festival ( June 10-12 ) and the GoldenSky country music festival at Discovery Park ( Oct . 15-16 ).
The Sol Blume music festival at Discovery Park was one of several recent examples of how festival events and concert series not only infuse an area ’ s economy , but can help shape the Capital Region ’ s identity as well .
“ From an economic standpoint , all of these events are huge for our region ,” says Mike Testa , president of Visit Sacramento , noting the large number of out-of-town visitors — up to 75 percent of all attendees — that come in for multi-day events like Aftershock and Sol Blume , filling hotel rooms and packing restaurants .
Sol Blume has become one of the biggest festivals in the country for R & B , soul and hip-hop music , and this year only bolstered that reputation . Co-founded by Sacramento ’ s Fornati Kumeh in 2017 , Sol Blume started as a one-day event at Cesar Chavez Park in
downtown Sacramento . It continued to grow in popularity , eventually attracting its best crowd in 2019 , its last pre- COVID year .
Festival officials say attendees this year represented some 46 states and international visitors came in from four continents and countries such as Canada , England , Spain , Germany , Australia and Japan . A big draw was the all-women of color headlining lineup that included well-known stars Jhené Aiko , Jazmine Sullivan , Summer Walker and Jorja Smith , while also featuring emerging local artists like Yelly and Victoria Monet .
Washington state residents Mari Martinez and Kobe Lyons had never been to Sacramento , but they came in specifically to attend both days of Sol Blume , staying at a local hotel . They cited artists Smino , Jazmine Sullivan and Thundercat as their must-sees . “ We ’ re having a great time ,” says Martinez on the festival ’ s first day .
The importance of Sol Blume , says Boswell , is showing the world that Sacramento can be a popular destination for fans of these styles of music .
56 comstocksmag . com | June 2022