The inaugural 30A Foam Fest, presented by Idyll Hound Proper and 30Avenue, raised $5,000 for Food for Thought Outreach.
The festival made its debut at 30Avenue on Saturday, May 13 and welcomed over 500 guests to the shopping center for an afternoon filled with craft beer, live music, local food, shopping, activities and much more. Nineteen breweries from across the southeast lined the streets of 30Avenue including Abita Brewing Company, Alga Beer Co., Beach Camp Brewing Company, Cigar City Brewing, Destin Brewery, Emerald Republic Brewing Company, Goat Island Brewing, Good People Brewing Company, Grayton Beer Company, Idyll Hounds Brewing Company, Lawless Coast Brewing, Odd Pelican Brewing Company, Parish Brewing Company, Perfect Plain Brewing Company, Sip Sandestin, Southern Fields Brewing Company, Sweetwater Brewing Company, TrimTab Brewing Company, and Urban South Brewery, presented by Hop Sponsor, Step One Automotive Group.
“Our inaugural Foam Fest was a huge success thanks to our vendors, sponsors, musical guests, and our gracious hosts at 30Avenue,” said Lance Stokes of Idyll Hound Proper. “We look forward to expanding the festival next year with more breweries, activities, and music while also continuing to support Food for Thought and all the good work they do in the community.”
Upon entering the official Vacayzen welcome lounge, each guest received a gift bag from 30Avenue that included a commemorative t-shirt sponsored by Gulf Goldring, and a custom mini beer mug courtesy of 30A Luxury Vacations to sample all the brews. House of Bounce and Epic Photo Co. were in attendance to capture memories with a 360° photo booth, sponsored by The Pointe, and an interactive photo booth, sponsored by Driftwood Wine and Spirits. There was also a booth for guests to get permanent jewelry to commemorate the event with Link + Lou of 30A.
Boukou Groove kicked off the event on the main stage, sponsored by Coastline Custom Builders, before the popular New Orleans-based band, Flow Tribe, headlined the festival. Throughout the afternoon, guests enjoyed gourmet food from various 30Avenue merchants including amici 30A Italian Kitchen, amigos 30A Mexican Kitchen, Goatfeathers, and Idyll Hound Proper, along with bites from Dog Man Du and Southern Charm Coffee. Those in attendance were also able to sample the brand-new Gulf Water Prosecco, which was launched earlier this year.
Before the event ended, Idyll Hounds Brewing Company hosted a Steinholding competition for guests to participate in. Steinholding is a traditional Bavarian contest in which competitors hold a full one-liter beer stein out in front of their bodies with a straight arm parallel to the ground. Out of 25 participants, Connor Martin of Santa Rosa Beach was the grand prize winner of over $400 gift cards from 30Avenue along with a gift bag and merchandise from Visit South Walton.
Through ticket sales, sponsorship, and donations, the inaugural 30A Foam Fest raised $5,000 for Food for Thought Outreach, a local 501(c)3 organization that works to bridge the meal gap in the lives of food insecure children in Walton and Okaloosa counties and empower them to get the most out of their education. Currently, over 3,000 children are enrolled in their year-round programs and all funds raised from the event will go towards those programs and helping even more kids throughout the year.
“We are thrilled to be the beneficiary of 30A Foam Fest,” said Tiffanie Nelson, founder of Food for Thought Outreach. “Funds from this event will support our summer services that run for eight weeks, in five locations, across Walton and Okaloosa Counties. As a locally based nonprofit, events such as this bring great awareness and support of our work serving food insecure children. We are looking forward to another great event in 2024!”
30A Foam Fest would like to thank the local businesses and individuals who sponsored the inaugural event, including 30A.com, 30AEats, 30A Food and Wine, A Boheme Design, Blush Beauty Lounge, B-Unlimited, Chi Mar Construction, Emerald Coast Luxury Transportation, Emerald Coast Magazine, Florida Water, Gulf Coast Food and Wine, Gulf Coast Restaurants, Herring Design Co., Mingle, SoWal.com, Stackable Mracek Design Group, Thirty A Review, United Community Bank, Vacayzen, and VIP 30A Magazine.
The second annual 30A Foam Fest will take place on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at 30Avenue. Follow 30A Foam Fest on Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date on more details coming soon.
