We need more Paloozas

There’s Lollapalooza, Pet-A-Palooza, Mitch-A-Palooza (from the movie Old School) and even Stooge-a-Palooza, a television program that features blocks of Three Stooges episodes. But, of all the Paloozas that now exist, Aquapalooza has to be the best.

Country music star – and avid boater – Alan Jackson certainly thinks so. After performing at Aquapalooza’s Signature Event in 2009 on Lake Martin, Jackson called his performance, “the coolest show I’ve ever done” in an interview with CMT Insider, which you can read here.

Thousands of boats and tens of thousands of fans attended the floating party, hosted by Sea Ray and Russell Marine, near Alexander City, Ala., last July. And the 2009 Signature Event was only one of the 123 Aquapalooza parties held worldwide during last year’s fourth-annual celebration.

This year’s Signature Event may be even bigger, as the party moves to Texas and another country sensation, Brad Paisley, headlines an Aquapalooza hosted by Austin’s Sail & Ski Centers. Read more about the event here.

Now, except for a song here or there, I don’t listen to much country music. I’d rather go to Lollapalooza (the annual summer rock tour that made the word “Palooza” synonymous with a festival-style celebration) and back in the early 90s I did see a couple of those first few tours. However, on a hot summer day, the choice between a party where you’ll be standing in a sweaty crowd and one where you’ll be floating on a beautiful lake is no choice at all.

Jackson probably summed it up best when talking about his Lake Martin show: “It’s a cool thing to be able to go on your boat and sit around and hang out with your family and friends and goof off and have fun and enjoy the music.”

I don’t know if I’d enjoy the music, but I do know that if I was in Texas and anywhere near Lake Travis on July 10, I’d find a way to be at Aquapalooza.

People love to live near the water. Beaches, lakes and rivers are vacation destinations. Most of those people will go for a swim or, at the very least, wade out for a few minutes. But many never take their next logical step, which is to get into a boat and spend time on the water.

The more on-water events, big or small, which give people the nudge to take that step, the more boaters there will be. The bottom line is that boating sells itself. Events like Aquapalooza do a great job of inviting new people to the party. The more we have of both, the better.