Wendy GilmartinAny normal SXSW day is spent guzzling back brews, taking in the sunshine and partying in general, so when the festival lands on St. Patrick's day, the only logical solution to upping the ante is – yes, you guessed it – to make the dang beer can taller.
Fader Magazine party organizers really used their noggins and caught onto this fact early, providing attendees a back-alley hipster playground – “The FIAT fort” – with pinball machines, swings, photo booths and many, many tall boys all swimming in a sea of St. Pat's green and Budweiser red and white. Oh, and there was some music too.
Fader party; Credit: photo by Wendy Gilmartin
With a 3-block long line all the way back under the highway, lucky attendees got to chill the afternoon away under the shady oaks, blissing-out to rollicking acts like Mazes, The Chain Gang of 1974 and Wiz Khalifa.
Fader party; Credit: photo by Wendy Gilmartin
Fader party: 10,000 points!; Credit: photo by Wendy Gilmartin
Love those lines!; Credit: photo by Wendy Gilmartin
Over at the Village Voice Media party, they had it going on with even more lines and sloppy revelry but the flavor was down and dirty hip hop, DJs, thrashing girl rock with Carrie Brownstein's Wild Flag and crowds pounding the floor for more. Rap giants Wu-Tang and their 50 plus crew of odd-balls, cast-off, cousins and girlfriends kept the stage bouncing way after last call and even after the lights came on. Security eventually got a handle on it, sending the mumbling, stumbling, shamrock-stickered crowd out into the warm night air.
Wu Tang; Credit: photo by Wendy Gilmartin
Put your hands in the ay-er; Credit: photo by Wendy Gilmartin
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