Fvded In The Park, the two-day sell out in Surrey, B.C., crowded with 40,000 attendees at Holland Park on July 7&8. The hip-hop and dance music festival got international acts and headliners Wiz Khalifa and The Chainsmokers. If you missed the two-day event, DMNW is here to break it down.
Transportation
With the festival being in the middle of Surrey, on the grassy fields of Holland Park, transportation options are plentiful. If you have never been to Canada, public transportation (bus and Skytrain) is commonly, and frequently, used. We purchased a Skytrain day-pass for $10 CAD and rode the light rail from downtown Vancouver right to Holland Park; 45 minute travel time each way.
Parking was also available around the venue, ranging in different price ranges – all dependent on how far you were willing to walk. The Skytrain was definitely the popular option; riding it on the way home each night proving to be a fun experience as it was filled with nothing but FVDED attendees. Party train for the win!
Tip for FVDED 2018: If you are planning on using the Skytrain, try and purchase your ticket beforehand to avoid the crowd after the show.
The Pacific Stage (Photo: DMNW Team)
Entry
The general admission line was quick to get through, considering how long the line was around 2:30 pm on the first day. It was beneficial to get your wristband in advance to avoid extra wait time. Blueprint did a good job of keeping lines organized and using the yellow-shirted volunteers, and other festival employees, to direct foot traffic to the proper entrances. On top of that, getting through the security line was swift; though lines were held up when people tried to bring in food and drinks.
Tip for FVDED 2018: Don’t bring food, gum, Gatorade or full water bottles/camelpaks inside.
Food and Merch
The food and drinks were available to satisfy any taste buds. Unfortunately the water refill stations were very crowded later in the evening. Just like any other festival, if you can, get your food and water early. There were many decently priced food trucks and even free alcoholic ice cream (score).
What we were really impressed with was the MERCH. Fvded outdid itself with the merch. There were so many options, and it was very not overpriced. Though, we could only get our hands on an XX-Large sweatshirt on the second day because they sold out on the first day.
Tip for FVDED 2018: If you want merch in your size, get it early.
Music
Day 1: The 3 stages were all spaced out (Pacific, Northwest and Fvded Lab), and we never had sounds clash. The production value on each one was pretty amazing.
The FVDED Lab (Photo: DMNW Team)
The Northwest Stage (Photo: DMNW Team)
A lot of the hip-hop performers used live bands this year, including Ty Dolla $ign and Wiz Khalifa. Not to be outdone, the hip-hop DJs got their shine when they dropped popular hip hop songs before their respective artist took the stage. XO Tour Llife3, Broccoli, Maad City, Humble … everyone would sing along and jump up and down to “hood” anthems like these. The energy was through the roof early on day 1, and never wavered.
He may not be an electronic dance music artist, but Wiz Khalifa threw down our favorite set on FVDED Friday. Those who listen to him know what he loves to sing and rap about. Considering the type of event FVDED in the Park is, he was the perfect headliner for that type of environment.
That night, he had the crowd in the palm of his hand. He scored big reactions with songs like Work Hard, Play Hard, See You Again and Black and Yellow, in addition to some of his rather, errr, crazy antics (this guy humped a speaker during a rather sensual rendition of Like Jimi, for example).
Wiz ended his set with Young, Wild and Free before dropping Don’t Stop Believing. The energy was amazing as the curtains closed on day 1. Everyone was singing along and spreading good vibes as Wiz took time to thank, and inspire, the crowd; the perfect way to end the night.
It was the ultimate party when Wiz Khalifa took to the Pacific stage (Photo: DMNW Team)
Day 2: With day 1 focusing on hip-hop mostly, day 2 felt like it was devoted to EDM. Right up our alley.
Yellow Claw (Photo: DMNW Team)
Matoma, Vanic, What So Not, NGHTMRE, Yellow Claw, The Chainsmokers and more took to the three stages on Saturday, almost all delivering memorable performances. The energy that was in Holland Park on day 1 was present here, and seemingly grew as the day progressed.
Sunset in the Park (Photo: DMNW Team)
Speaking of The Chainsmokers, they were everything we desired. Playing a mix of hard bass, hip-hop, and original hits, Drew Taggart and Alex Pall drew the biggest crowd of the whole weekend. EVERYONE sung along when they played Something Just Like This, Closer and Roses, amongst other tunes, before ended the night with the one and only Don’t Let Me Down, fireworks going off in the background.
Having The Chainsmokers end the festival was a great decision and the crowd agreed. If you saw them at Paradiso last year, they put that performance to shame; a testament to their rapid growth as DJ/producers and live performers.
The Chainsmokers had EVERYONE singing along to their infectious hits (Photo: DMNW Team)
Tip for FVDED 2018: We heard so many people say “sorry” and “excuse me” when moving through crowds. Manners are awesome! Keep it up Canada!
Did you make it to FVDED this year? Who was your favorite performer(s)? Favorite moment? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
Important things happen in Pacific Northwest nightlife, and DMNW will send you alerts!
