On Saturday, Apr. 27th, 2019, conservationists and craft beer enthusiasts alike can support our local landscape at the fifth annual Tree Fest, presented by Solar Impact and Swamp Head Brewery to support Alachua Conservation Trust by raising money to plant a lot of trees. .
The free event will be held at Swamp Head Brewery at 3650 SW 42nd Ave. from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m., with family friendly activities until 5 p.m. and music after dark. During the event, every beer purchased directly funds the planting of five trees in Alachua County. (Purchases of food and T-shirts will also benefit the trees.)
Food trucks, including Cilantro Tacos and Ash and Ember, will be on-site from open to close. The popular Sun Country gymnastics bus and a bounce house will be on site from noon to 5pm and during the same time period, local environmental nonprofits and organizations will have informational booths set up on the lawn in front of the brewery. Leashed and well-behaved dogs are welcome throughout the event.
Tree Fest’s “drink one beer, plant five trees” model raised enough money in its first four years to plant 236,324 trees. This year, event organizers and sponsors have an ambitious goal to fund 100,000 trees. Special thanks to our major sponsors, Audi Gainesville, Advanced Limited Systems, UBS, McDonalds, Sun Country, and Marty Tod, for kick-starting our journey to achieving that goal.
Through a partnership with the Alachua Conservation Trust, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect the natural, historic, scenic and recreational resources in and around Alachua County, Fla., all of the money from beer and T-shirt sales will directly fund the planting of one-year-old native longleaf pines at the Little Orange Creek Preserve in Hawthorne, Fla.
“Over 1,300 people attended last year — it’s clear Gainesville likes beer and trees,” said Elaine Jacobson, cofounder of Solar Impact, and event coordinator for Tree Fest. “Every year we add more community partners, more activities and more sponsors. Our goal is to make Tree Fest the most fun and impactful Earth Day party in the entire state of Florida.”
For event schedule, sponsorship information and detailed information on Tree Fest, visit treefestfl.com.
