Electronic Music Festivals
If you've never been to a music festival, then you won't be able to completely understand what you are about to read. I'll do my best, but words just don't do it justice because it is such an amazing experience. I do recommend going with a group, not just for safety reasons, because sharing the experience with loved ones makes it even better. I also URGE you to wear ear plugs or some kind of hearing protection. It gets LOUD at these events, and you only get one pair of ears. Concerts and festivals can reach decibel levels up to 110dB, which is equivalent to someone shouting directly in your ear. It is also very important that you stay hydrated at these events. Many of them are multi-day, but either way you will likely be walking and dancing a lot.
A basic overview is that the events are hosted at some large venue somewhere and there's typically multiple stages. Sometimes there will only be one 'main stage' and some smaller stages, but other times there can be 6 'main stages' (like with Electric Forest). The stages can also have some pretty ornate decorations like arms or a head or giant dinosaurs. The stages vary in size but can be absolutely massive with multiple stacks of speakers and rows of giant subs. There's a spot center stage for the DJ, and behind them is a big screen. Sometimes it's several screens in a wide setup, sometimes it's a diamond of screens, you get the idea. There are also lights and lasers attached to the stage's frame. These will pair with the visuals and sound (which you can FEEL because of the subs) to create a very immersive environment that is constantly flowing and shifting. The setup is pretty impressive during the day, but when the sun goes down and it's dark the vibe completely changes. All the visual effects become more intense because of the contrast. It will also probably be cooler, which is nice. It also allows for the use of fireworks, which are carefully timed to line up with the music.
There can also be CO2 cannons that puff out bursts of gas in a fog/mist kind of way. This will cool you down, and also make the lasers more visible as the light passes through. Sometimes there will be flames that shoot out of the top, sides, or front of the stage as well and are usually timed with the music. Aside from the stages, you might find some experience setups such as paint dipping, kandi (plastic bead jewelry) making, photo booths, covered hangout spots with cool stuff to look at, and more. The best part of all, though, is getting down to some nasty bass tunes with your fellow humans. When a lot of people are headbanging and dancing in unison just having a great time, regardless of who you are and what you do, it's an amazing feeling.
People will wear all sorts of cool, wild, interesting, and funny outfits and jewelry to these events. They are a place you can simply be yourself and have fun. There's a type of jewelry called 'kandi' that is made out of perler beads. These can range from simple bracelets and arm cuffs, to necklaces with characters hanging in the center or even face masks. I once saw someone who made a dragon helmet and wings out of perler beads. The bracelets will typically be traded when you meet and vibe with someone cool. There is a process for this called the PLUR handshake where you each put a hand out and touch index and middle fingers together (peace), then form a heart shape (love), then interlock fingers (unity), and finally you each slide a bracelet over your hands and onto the other persons arm (respect).
There is also always some kind of merchandise booth. You can get t-shirts, blankets, flags, and more with the event name and logo or even individual artist merch. There can also be private vendors for festival wear companies and brands like Scummy Bear. Other vendors sell tapestries, pendants, hoods, fans, goggles, and more. Pins are sold pretty frequently, and there are a lot of really creative and designs and character combinations. There's typically food vendors set up as well, and hopefully it's a good and tasty variety that isn't too expensive (but don't hold your breath). The alcohol, food, and merch sold at events like this is usually pretty pricey, so plan accordingly.
Ultra Japan and EDC Tokyo were both very fun and cool events. These were multi-day festivals. Ultra Japan in particular was pretty life changing because it was my first live electronic event. I was excited because I knew about many of the artists, and it was incredible to see them live. I had also never seen so many musical artists performing in one place. There were plenty of fun festival things like people in costume walking on stilts, lighting setups, photo spots more. For EDC there were multiple stages, and one of them was on the beach. The main stage had a woman's head on it with wings reaching out from the sides. For Ultra, it ended up raining so hard (I think it was a weak typhoon) that everyone got soaked, but we all kept partying.
Ultra Australia took place in Melbourne. It was very hot and dry in a big flat open grassy area with a main stage and a few side stages. They had water stations and sprinklers set up. I've seen similar at other festivals as well, it is refreshing. Most of the headliners played a lot of mainstream pop and EDM party music, but they still threw in some electronic bass bangers. It was the first Ultra in Australia as I understand it, since they had what's called a "road to ultra" event the year before. There were some smaller stages as well that were playing genres like techno, trance, house, and drum and bass. This festival was only for one day, but I still made friends and had a blast.
Bass Canyon is my absolute favorite festival (so far) and I have gone three times now. Instead of having a mainstream and dance focus (although these types of songs are still played), it is bass oriented and full of genres like dubstep, brostep, riddim, briddim, tearout, and space bass. The venue, the gorge amphitheater, is rather hilly but does have flat spots. The main stage is set up with a giant canyon behind it, and it faces a large natural amphitheater hill with grass. Originally there was only the one main stage and then the side stages got bigger. It is held in Washington state. This festival is different from the others because you camp there, or at least you can. I highly recommend it, because you can get back to camp right after and get comfortable and relax instead of worrying about getting home. Then the next day, because it is a 3 day festival with a bonus pre-party day, you can easily get back to the festival grounds. There is a Ferris wheel, and they set up a circle of small towers that shoot flames for the hilltop stage.
There are several festivals that I still want to go to that I haven't yet. Lost Lands is one of them. It takes place in Ohio, and is run by the same artist as Bass Canyon, Excision. The fest is dinosaur themed and really takes it seriously with life-size dino models throughout the grounds. I also want to go to Electric Forest. it's a camping festival that takes place in the woods across two weekends. It's very popular and tickets sell out quick, like within minutes quick. I believe there have been 6 main stages as well as smaller stages. One of the stages I'm told was a 360 circular setup called the village, and there has also been a stage that looks like a house with visuals projected onto it. EDC Vegas would also be cool because it is the 'main/original?' EDC (Electric Daisy Carnival). Unlike the one in Tokyo, it has amusement park rides.
Long story short, if you have never been to an electronic music festival, and you like the music even a little bit, then you should go. Hearing it performed live will really change your view on it. Even artist whose music I was very familiar with blew my mind because their live shows went so ridiculously hard that I could not have possibly anticipated it. Now, when I listen to songs I have heard performed live, they are more impactful because I remember the feeling of being there. It's like magic watching a professional DJ flow from song to song with crazy visuals and effects, multiplying the experience. If I had the time and money, I would go to a festival every month.
Author: Psidemica
Published: 2023-12-08
Edited: 2024-10-18
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