What The Festival has garnered incredible support throughout its 6 years of awesomeness. From diverse music to striking visual arts, to interactive chill-out zones, it has established itself as a NW staple in the festival scene. This year the festival seemed to take a new direction, booking acts like Cut Copy, Russ Liquid Test, and Zhu, to name a small few of the acts this year. The visually and auditory-astounding festival exceeded our expectations, despite being veterans of the unique and friendly event.
The Thursday early entry night was jam-packed this year. From Ill Gates to NastyNasty (who played the first year as well), our ears and eyes were soothed and excited. While we were totally wiped the next day from shaking our asses, we managed to get down to the likes of Gramatik, Michael Mannahan, and Ott. Michael and Ott played at the always-thrilling Dragon Stage.
This stage which has become a staple at What The Festival, has quickly won over our hearts and dancing shoes. The vibes were typically moody and groovy, which set the stage perfectly for the Saturday night Desert Hearts showcase. Over at the Equinox stage, we saw Brasstracks, and Russ Liquid Test, who masterfully synthesize electronic music and live band flair. Their sets were full of familiar fist-pumpers and mysterious dance floor weapons, which kept us moving despite our already exhausted bodies and brains.
Earlier in the day on Saturday we screamed in complete ecstasy as Claude VonStroke (the mysterious surprise guest) closed out the infamous Splash Pool stage party. Claude is a veteran of the festival we’ve seen countless times and his vibes match the festival perfectly. He threw down banger after banger, all the while donning a hilarious snorkel and inflatable flamingo hat outfit. The Funktion-One system really shone at this show particularly. The sand beneath our feet literally pulsated to the intense sub hits as we celebrated our familiar friend and the massive musical massage.
Festival-goers getting THE FUCK DOWN at the Splash Stage’s sandy perimeter (cred: Nikki Lovejoy)
The final day of the festival, while a lot chiller overall, still managed to get us out of bed in the morning. The final pool stage slot was occupied by the friendly Future Classic crew who played a healthy dose of feel good party music. In contrast, the evening Equinox stage was graced with a STYLSS “takeover”, which melted our brains with twisted and outrageous beats. Across the festival, Cut Copy absolutely murdered the WTF stage, as expected.
What The Festival is here to stay and we can’t wait to go next year. As support for the festival grows, they continue to push their envelope and beautifully metamorphosize beyond expectations.
What was your favorite part of What The Fest?! this year? Let us know in the comments below!
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