Life is Beautiful is a music, art, + culinary festival that takes place in Downtown Las Vegas! Since 2013 the festival has helped revitalize Downtown Las Vegas, specifically Fremont Street. With stages tucked behind buildings, motels decorated as art installations, and food trucks around every corner - there was a TON of stuff to see and do! This festival was unlike any other, because Life is Beautiful actually takes place in the streets of Vegas, sprawling over 18 city blocks!

It was definitely a hot weekend in Vegas, but the cool temps at night felt awesome with the breeze! On Day 1 we started early to explore what the festival had to offer. One of my favorite discoveries was the art installation on Fremont & 9th! It was an air-conditioned building filled with art and shops! They even had lounge areas with a bar and real bathrooms! After looking at the art we spent the day jamming out to my favs like Elohim, Justice, and the Weeknd! (photographed below!) Day 2 I entered the festival a little later, but just in time to see Foster The People! It was my first time seeing them and even though I only knew a few songs, they really surprised me and had me vibing the whole set! The set was filled with tons of energy and even featured live Cirque dancers that came out during a cover of Hey Jude by the Beatles. My other favorites that night were Alison Wonderland and The Drums! Alison is an EDM DJ that I've seen grow so much in the past couple years and I'm all for the female DJ's claiming their space in a male dominated industry. Day 3 was probably my favorite day! Odesza and DJ Snake both make music that take me to another place and I live for them. Seeing both of them live, back-to-back was such a moment.

Overall, I definitely think I would return to LIB! As always, more water stations are needed. (And for a desert festival on it's 6th year, I'd expect them to have this down.) I also think the production value can be stepped up! With the profit the festival makes, I think spending money on things like fireworks and pyro make for a better experience and should be worked into the planning of these festivals. How you gonna close the festival with a DJ Snake set and not have fireworks? But, nonetheless, Life is Beautiful 2018 was an experience I will never forget and a festival I plan on attending in the future. 

Check out the slideshow below to see the highlights of my weekend in Vegas!

From the co-creators of Bonnaroo and OutsideLands, Grandoozy Music + Arts Festival was unveiled in Denver, Colorado this past weekend! I was given the opportunity to attend and cover the inaugural event, making this my first festival where I was given press credentials! 🙌🏾 I was able to dive in and get the inside scoop on the festival and find out if it's worth going to again. 👀 The lineup covers a wide range of music, with the main headliners being Kendrick Lamar, Florence + The Machine, and Stevie Wonder! Quite eclectic! 🎶

The festival took place on a golf course (a festival-first for me) so there was tons of grass! I'll take grass over dirt any day! ⛳️ Throughout the golf course they had tons of food options, from savory to sweets. The overall layout of the festival was nice, and I definitely think there is room for growth! I think Superfly hit the nail on the head with this one and I hope they bring it back in 2019! With some improvements: more water stations! and more 'water only' stands, it's kinda ridiculous you have to wait in a alcohol or food line to just get water. Overall, Grandoozy Music + Arts Festival was a banger that left Denver wanting more! 🙌🏾

Check out the gallery below to see photos of the event! SHOT BY ME! @CTORRES.XYZ ON INSTAGRAM! 📷

Thank you 11th Avenue Hostel for hosting me during my stay!

this past weekend i headed to the capital of Mexico to experience the 5th anniversary of the Electric Daisy Carnival — Mexico! entering the festival was a breeze & you basically get slapped with bass as soon as you enter! the overall layout of EDCMX was superb in my opinion! stages not too close or far from each-other, workers selling cerveza every 20 feet, food all around, and tons of rides and activities that nobody ever really talks about! the event was definitely more than just a ‘rave’. it was unity, between love and music. the vibe was unbelievable, it’s definitely true that we mexicanos know how to party!  i’ve been to festivals all over the world, but EDC mexico definitely felt like home. ♥️ i will definitely be returning for 2019! will i see you there? 

take a look at photos from the festivities below and read my interview with Mexican-born electronic DJ Loojan!

​1.¿Qué te hizo darte cuenta de que la música era tu camino?
Desde niño cuando escuchaba alguna canción amaba aprenderme la letra, bailaba las canciones que me aprendía, tenia ese gusto de sobremanera con la música de cualquier tipo, hasta que un día supe que era la música electrónica, que era un dj y me dije yo quiero crear esto que estoy escuchando.
 
2.¿Qué sigue de ti? ¿Alguna idea sobre el nuevo álbum? Planes de gira?
Acabo de estrenar un sencillo que se llama A Lo Loco con las vocales de Happy Colors y Godwonder dos artistas Dominicanos que la están rompiendo, salió bajo EVT Music de Sony, gira se planea una en latino américa pero tengo bastantes shows al rededor de mi país
 
3.Si no estuvieras haciendo música, ¿qué estarías haciendo?
Sería futbolista o peleador de MMA
 
4.¿Qué es un festival o lugar de ensueño que te gustaría tocar? Si ya lo jugaste, ¿cómo fue? ¿Cómo fue la experiencia?
Ya cumplí el sueño de estar en EDC por segundo año consecutivo, creo que Ultra Music Festival y Tomorrowland son los siguientes, La experiencia de EDC es una locura total darte cuenta que en tu país te aman, disfrutan lo qué haces no hay comparación
 
5.¿Que significa ser mexicano para ti?
Lo más valioso y bonito que hay, nuestra cultura es algo que amo y no lo cambiaria por nada
 
6.¿Con qué otros músicos / DJ te gustaría colaborar después?
Tengo una fuerte obsesión por poder colaborar con Bomba Estéreo no son específicamente djs pero son mi mayor influencia en mi sonido
 
7.Si el mundo fuera a terminar y solo pudieras tocar una más de tus canciones, ¿cuál sería?
Promise To Love You
 
8.Si tuviera un men.aje para darles a sus fanáticos, ¿qué diría?
Soñar es gratuito atrevámonos a soñar las cosas más locas que queremos para nuestra vida, después nos daremos cuenta que con trabajo ya estamos viviendo el sueño
 
Y algo que no puede faltar, Más Que Nada Soy Latino!

1.What made you realize that music was your path In life?
Since I was a child when I was listening to a song, I loved learning the lyrics, I danced the songs I learned, I had that great taste with music of any kind, until one day I knew it was electronic music, it was a dj and I said I want to create what I am listening to.
 
2.What's next for you? Any details on the new album? Tour plans?
I just released a single called A Lo Loco with the vocals of Happy Colors and Godwonder two Dominican artists who are breaking it, came out under Sony EVT Music, tour is planned in Latin America but I have many shows around my country
 
3.If you were not making music, what would you be doing?
Would be a footballer or MMA fighter
 
4.What is a festival or dream place that you would like to play? If you already played it, how was it? How was the experience?
I already fulfilled the dream of being in EDC for the second year in a row, I think that Ultra Music Festival and Tomorrowland are the following. The experience of EDC is total madness to realize that in your country they love you, they enjoy what you do there is no comparison
 
5.What does it mean to be Mexican for you?
The most valuable and beautiful there is, our culture is something that I love and I would not change it for anything
 
6.What other musicians / DJ would you like to collaborate with in the future?
I have a strong obsession for collaborating with Bomba Estéreo, they are not specifically DJs but they are my biggest influence on my sound
 
7.If the world were to end and you could only play one more of your songs, what would it be?
Promise To Love You
 
8.If you had one message to give to your fans, what would you say?
 
Dreaming is free Let's dare to dream the craziest things we want for our life, then we will realize that with work we are already living the dream

And something that can not be missed, More than Anything I'm Latino.

when i first heard about the new festival that would be taking place in PHX i knew i had to attend! once i found out that it was being put together by the same people who do OSL, i knew the festival would be a hit! this part of arizona is the perfect spot for a festival like this, and they chose the perfect season to execute it. it's super close to arizona state university which definitely drew in a big college crowd! the first day of the festival felt like the first day of school! nobody knew what to expect, since this was the first one ever! after scanning our tickets and getting through security, i was shocked at the amount of space the festival had! it was HUGE, taking place at Steele Indian School Park, one of arizona's prime parks with 75 acres of land! lost lake had enough games and food to last a lifetime! i chowed down on a bunch of things, my favorite being the pulled pork mac n cheese!

the lineup was a pretty good mix of artist, which is what i expected since i knew who was throwing it. from chance the rapper, to odesza, to the killers! a huge variety for everybody to enjoy! i really enjoyed chance's performance that night and honestly became a fan that night! my other favorite performances would have to be from MUNA and HAIM [photo'd below] , two all-girl bands that really know to rock! i attended the festival with my sister and she had never heard of either band! safe to say, she is now a fan of both!