Rain or shine, a festival must go on. Even though tough weather conditions, consisting of wind speeds of 70km/h, had to put day 1 of Digital Dreams to a halt; Live Nation and Digital Dreams ensured that they came back with full force the next day, taking necessary precaution to ensure the fans, artists and staff were safe.Β Come Sunday, the weather wasnβt looking too good, but everyone read the golden words that gates will open at 4PM. If you took any form of public transit to arrive at Digital Dreams, weβre sure you were coupled with hundreds of other fans showing their enthusiasm to reach the festival as soon as possible. The energy was very present, and we couldnβt wait to see how it would be spent.
Taking place on Echo Beach, near the Molson Amphitheatre; Digital Dreams was spread across a wide ground that had stages set up everywhere, all within sight of any member. Walking around the grounds would take you a solid 10 to 15 minutes, so youβd have to plan your schedule and sets accordingly. But as you’re walking from one stage to another, there was a plenty list of things to do: stop at one of the many varied food trucks, play a game of giant beer pong, or play a quick game of table tennis! Digital Dreams ensured that the festival didn’t stay fixated only on the music, but instead also delivered a pleasant experience to the fans.
One may think that rain would be a deterrent to someone having a good time, but the fans and audience members of Digital Dreams proved that wrong. Despite the pouring rain and the dark clouds hanging high, the crowd still raged on to the artists performing at all stages. No amount of rain could stop this crowd from doing what they came here to do; have a good time. And as a token of appreciation from the rain gods, the rain came to a stop halfway into day 2, and slowly did the ponchos come off too.
Now moving to the music. With 4 stages set up all across the grounds, no matter what genre of electronic music you’re into, there was a stage for it. There was something beautiful about moving from one stage to another, and noticing how the crowd varies so differently as you move along. From the bassheads forming a mosh pit, to the techno heads doing their shuffles in the front, to the 1000’s of people gathered at mainstage jumping in unison; this festival really offered a great variety of music to all it’s attendees, giving them the freedom to experience the festival how they’d like to.
And every artist that was up on stage managed to deliver a beautifully curated set, one that the crowd spared no expense in showing their appreciation for. With Arty playing some of his older tracks with Mat Zo,Β fans were transported and exposed to an earlier style of Arty where his trance roots still exist. Adventure Club decided to incorporate some rap into their set, with a lot of famous current numbers, providing an interesting angle to their set. Flux Pavilion and Zomboy absolutely destroyed the Bacardi House of Boom, with hundreds of bassheads staying put and loyal to the ground in front of them.
All in all, Digital Dreams managed to put on a show despite all the troubles it was faced with on the days it was scheduled. Providing a great festival experience is what they aimed to do, and we might say it did just that. From riding carnival rides, to grooving out in front of our favourite stage; Digital Dreams left fans wanting for more as the festival came to an end with an impressive firework show. WeΒ look forward to attending the festival again next year, and for the festival to forever keep us on our toes.
