 "Photo: Caleb Miller/The Daily Texan")
 "Photo: Peyton McGee/The Daily Texan")
The sticky smell of good marijuana mingled with dust on a beautiful Sunday afternoon as hippies of all varieties hit their pipes in plain sight. I donned a sundress and spent the day at the Austin Reggae Festival as the weekend’s rainy weather came to an end.
The festival, which has been going on since 1994, is Austin’s longest-running outdoor music event. This year, the Skatalites and the Wailing Souls headlined the event held at Auditorium Shores.
It was my first time to attend the festival, and I have to admit that I’m not that knowledgeable about reggae music. The lilting beats were calming, though, which created a nice vibe.
My friend and I immediately spotted the Moon Bounce slide near the edge of Lady Bird Lake. After stopping for a minute to admire the view of the lake, we hit up the slide. Two tickets got each of us unlimited rides once we introduced ourselves to Randy, the ride operator.
“I can’t wait until it’s my 420,” Randy told us. “I got some purple burning a hole in my pocket!”
We sympathized and made our way past Randy to climb up the air-filled slide, sandwiched in line between 5-year-old kids.
“420 fun for the whole family!” my friend said, and we took our cue from the little boys, barreling down the slide sideways.
Needless to say, sundresses and blow-up slides can be a tricky combo, and we emerged from the Moon Bounce with scrapes and burns.
After that, we made our way to the vendors, whose products impressed me more than the music being played. The quality of the Rasta gear and handmade jewelry was exceptional. That said, the prices ranged from pretty high to really high — the awesome dress I wanted cost $85.
There was also a lady giving massages in a tent, and Austin Harm Reduction was on site, handing out material on the benefits of using clean needles and selling T-shirts with shocking images. One, for example, had a depiction of the Virgin Mary with needles, instead of rays of light, sticking out behind her.
Tickets were $15 both Saturday and Sunday, but there was no re-entry free. Parking at the Palmer Events Center was an additional $7, so the festival was maybe a little pricier than your average weekend plans. But still, spending a sunny day getting high by the lake and listening to reggae music is a pretty righteous 420 ritual.
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