Festival season is well underway, and the Northwest’s premier destination for summer music fun is preparing for a few weekends of dance music this year. From trance, to dubstep, and beyond, the Gorge will host more than a few of EDM’s top artists and acts during the next several months. We wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Gorge is one of the most beautiful concert venues on the planet. It attracts fans and artists alike, creating the perfect atmosphere for a variety of genres. It’s not just about the views and the climate, though. The Gorge has history, too.
A major part of its recent history is Paradiso Festival. Beginning in 2012 — and following Identity Festival’s success in September of 2011 — Paradiso has maintained its status as Washington’s top dance music festival. With stacked lineups and a dream-like venue, their success makes a lot of sense, as does the rise of dance music events taking place at the Gorge.
Led by EDM powerhouses Above & Beyond and Excision, Paradiso has some company when it comes to utilizing the iconic venue for dance music purposes this summer. June, July, and August will each host a multi-day festival for dance music fans, giving potential concert-goers plenty of decisions to make.
In order to help, we’ve come up with a quick guide to each of the three major festivals coming to The Gorge during the coming months. From ticket and event info to lineup breakdowns and interesting notes, we’ve got you covered when it comes to EDM at the Gorge this summer.
Paradiso 2015, Photo: Tyler Hill Photo
Paradiso Festival – June 14th & 15th
Returning in mid-June, Paradiso’s arrival marks the heart of festival season in the Northwest. As of this writing, 2019’s edition is 90% sold out. That’s to be expected at this point, with Paradiso’s reputation growing every summer. That’s not likely to change this year, especially when looking at the loaded list of artists on the lineup.
As always, there will be plenty of bass booming throughout The Gorge during Paradiso. Diverse talents like 1788-L and Shades are joined by a handful of high-level b2b sets from fan favorites like Delta Heavy and Dirtyphonics. Oh, Skrillex and Rusko are showing up too.
If not, and you’d rather ysee some acts fresh to Paradiso, the 2019 lineup has that too. OPIUO, Zhu, Shiba San, Coone, and dozens more are making their ‘Diso debuts this summer. Live sets more your thing? No worries. Live performances from Keys N Krates and Infected Mushroom have you covered.
Topping it all off: The return of Kaskade. If there was ever an artist created by the universe with The Gorge in mind, it’s that guy. He’s a Paradiso (and Magnifique) veteran whose love for the venue matches ours. If there’s a “can’t miss” artist on the Paradiso 2019 lineup, it’s him.
Tickets I Facebook Event Page I Official Website
Paradiso 2019 Lineup
Above & Beyond: Group Therapy Weekender – July 27th & 28th
If Kaskade is on the list of artists created for the Gorge, Above & Beyond is on there as well. Performing throughout the Northwest (including Paradiso) consistently for years, the trio are bringing a special treat with them this summer. Having brought ABGT 250 to the iconic venue in September of 2017, Above & Beyond have managed to up their game.
Like many artists, Above & Beyond share our appreciation and affection for The Gorge. They’re doing the right thing, and sharing their love for The Gorge with their friends from Anjunabeats and Anjunadeep. And us. We’ll be there, too.
Live-sets from Ben Böhmer and Cubicolor will get our juices flowing, as will the “Yoga Set” coming from Above & Beyond on Sunday. On Saturday, an insanely impressive collection of acts leaves no time to leave the stage, for fear of missing something magical.
Tickets I Facebook Event Page I Official Website
ABGT Weekender lineup
Bass Canyon – August 23rd – 25th
Taking place between Watershed (see: Country stuff) and Dave Matthews Band (see: Gorge legend), Bass Canyon has some prime real estate in the Gorge’s summer calendar. Headed by BC-native Excision, every basshead’s dream festival is returning to the Northwest in August.
This is the second edition of Bass Canyon, after a successful inaugural event last year. Once again, the crew has put together a lineup full of diverse talents across the bass music spectrum.
The festival is headlined by sets from Excision “all weekend long”, and features an Excision b2b “spotlight artists” set. The artist spotlight is billed as “a unique showcase of bass music’s rising stars.” If that doesn’t get you excited, Bass Canyon might not be for you.
Then again, there’s plenty of other great stuff headed our way as well. The Wakaan Takeover from Liquid Stranger is always a good idea, something that Shambhala Music Festival agrees on. And it’s hard to argue with a lineup that features Mastadon, Spag Heddy, Zomboy, Space Jesus, Funtcase, Downlink, 12th Planet, and the additional bounty of bass beasts Excision is bringing to The Gorge this summer.
Tickets I Facebook Event Page I Official Website
Bass Canyon 2019 Lineup
Let us know which of dance music’s major festivals you’ll be attending at The Gorge this summer! There’s no shortage of options, and we consider ourselves lucky to have the opportunity to enjoy such amazing artists at such an incredible venue. Comment below, on Facebook, or reply on Twitter!
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March 10, 2021 at 11:02 pm
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