Another Kink Down South has come and gone, and just like the previous two years; it keeps getting better and better. This years event went down at a venue space on Atlanta's west side, leaving the comforting asphalt embrace of the parking lot outside The Eagle. As much as I was 😒 when I first heard about the move, it was ultimately the right call. The Eagle is wonderful, but KDS is growing and it needs to be somewhere that will let them expand (and they still had events at The Eagle). I should note that I only attended the street fair at the venue. There were a handful of parties at bars in Atlanta, as well as a lineup of classes at the host hotel, but I didn't attend any of that.
That being said, the street fair at the venue is definitely the heart of KDS and they blew it out of the park this year. The vendor space was excellent, chock-full of a wide variety of gear with some big-name vendors to help draw in crowds. Hosting an event in Atlanta, in August is a huge gamble, but having a venue with indoor and outdoor spaces helped strike a balance.