Shot by C TORRES

​Ciudad de México, February 28th, March 1st & 2nd -
EDC Mexico 2020 returned to the Rodríguez Brothers Racetrack in the heart of Mexico City bigger & better than EVER! For the first time in EDC MX history, Insomniac Events expanded the event to 3-DAYS! 🙌🏾 We got an extra full day of music & good vibes! 🇲🇽✨

As always, Insomniac found a way to one-up themselves! Not only did they expand the event, but they also added new experiences for all of the attendees to partake in! One of my favorite additions to the map was the ‘Bionic Jungle’ stage! 🌿 This was a huge tented structure, covered in lush greenery from floor to the top of the structure! I was in AWE at how beautiful it was. 😍

Check out my photo recap of all the festivities that went down south of the border! 😜📸

RSVP FOR INTERSECT 2020! CLICK HERE.

Las Vegas, NV December 6th & 7th — A brand new music, art, + tech festival has emerged! 🤩 Hitting the strip for the first time in 2019, Intersect by AWS was a weekend full of new and exciting experiences that left me wishing for more! 🙌🏾

Intersect 2019 took place at the newly built Las Vegas Festival Grounds (right next to Circus Circus if you’re familiar with Vegas). This wasn’t my first time at the festival grounds, but it was the first time I was impressed with the layout! They did a great job with placing the 3 megastructures, not too close/not too far from each other, with tons of things to see, touch, feel, and do while walking from structure to structure. One of my favorite spots to chill was the vitaminwater Fire and Ice Lounge! 🔥❄️ They had fire pits with seating set up around the bar, so it was the perfect spot to rehydrate and keep warm since temperatures were around 50 degrees all weekend! 🥶

Both days were filled with music from 3 PM to 12:30 AM, with artists Kacey Musgraves, Anderson .Paak, Gesaffelstein, H.E.R., Kaytranada, Leon Bridges & tons more! 🎶 In between the music is the perfect time to check out the art! When it comes to festivals, art installations are one my biggest drawing points! They’re not only fun to look at, they also make great backdrops for photos. 😉 I’m a lover of the arts and creativeness as a whole, so I tend to judge festivals pretty harshly on their choices when it comes to art installations. That being said, Intersect made sure to come through with some dope emerging artists from all around the world to present some of the coolest & most interactive installations I’ve ever seen at a festival! From being immersed into Nonotak’s and the Lost & Photon installation rooms (full of lights, lasers, and music), to gazing up at the Monolith, a gigantic 60-foot tall video tower in the center of the festival playing beautiful vivid computer animated visuals — I never had a chance to get bored.

See you in 2020, Vegas!

Check out a photo recap of the weekend below! 📸
shot by C Torres & Dario Tejada @d.vision_

Santa Cruz, CA October 19 & 20th 2019 — Returning to the beautiful city of Santa Cruz for another year of music, art, and community, the 2019 Santa Cruz Music Festival was a weekend full of just that! This expansive festival is spread out throughout the downtown area of Santa Cruz, with multiple different venues all within walking distance. Definitely unlike any other festival, in my opinion! You get to immerse yourself in this beachy city, with streets filled with vendors, artists, and (of course) musicians. It truly feels like the perfect place to host this kind of event and I plan on returning just to feel those same vibes again!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WEEKEND:
THE MUSIC — Jai Wolf closed out the festival Sunday night at the Civic Auditorium with a show full of nostalgic tunes and a beautiful array of lights with visuals to match. I also really enjoyed all 3 stages over at the Catalyst Club. Easy bar access + nice viewing areas for those 21+.

THE FOOD — Over at San Lorenzo Park, World Famous Hot Boys were busy selling their iconic chicken sandwiches. I overheard tons of people raving about these sandwiches, claiming to be the best they’ve ever had! Besides the food available within the festival, keep in mind there’s also a ton of places to eat in between each venue. I saw a few pizza spots that looked good, but ended up grabbing some tacos and a margarita from Snap Taco.

THE ART + COMMUNITY — Throughout the festival and on the streets of SC are tons of local artists and vendors with tons of items to choose from! From beautiful live painting, to community yoga, it was truly a magical feeling just waking around the area!

CHECK OUT THE PHOTO RECAP BELOW!

San Bernardino, CA September 14 + 15, 2019 — Nocturnal Wonderland made it’s return for the last party at Glen Helen Regional Park last weekend with a lineup full of my favorites, including DJ Snake, Malaa, Snakehips, Jauz, Deorro, Alan Walker + so many others! The production value this year was amazing! It seemed as if each set was filled with pyrotechnics & fireworks which always makes the show more exciting in my opinion.

Glen Helen has been a favorite venue of mine for years now! The mountain views make the perfect drop every night while the sun sets and the moon rises. Insomniac Events transforms the place into a mystical land full of creatures, live artists, and interactive displays throughout the park — which truly makes it more than just a typical music festival! There’s so many small details that go into every Insomniac event and they worked hard to make this 2019 Nocturnal Wonderland a memorable one!

RELIVE THE WEEKEND WITH ME!
Check out the photo recap of the festival below!

Fontana, CA August 3 + 4, 2019 -- HARD Summer returned to the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA this past weekend with a stacked lineup featuring a mix of hip-hop & EDM! Temperatures soared into the hundreds like usual, but thankfully this year they addressed & fixed one huge issue from previous years: the dirt! They pretty much covered the entire speedway with a tarp material to keep the dirt tucked away! It definitely helped out and made the event THAT much better. Each year HARD Summer seems to be stepping it up, so I’m super excited to see where they take it in the future!

Highlights from the weekend: Kid Cudi closed out the main stage while DJ Snake & Malaa packed out the Pink tent on Saturday! If you were even able to get inside the tent, then props to you! My favorite set of the weekend? ZHU b2b Tchami! I was in house-music paradise! Seriously can’t wait to see either of them (together or separate) again! OOKAY threw down an awesome live set filled with vocals, dancers, & tons of energy! Anna Lunoe was another artist that surprised me! I’ve always heard buzz around the name, but seeing her live solidified why she’s popping. Other notable sets from the weekend include RL Grime, Floss b2b 4B, & Dillon Francis!

See my full photo gallery below recapping the event!
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I’ve been an Insomniac Passport Member since the original launch in December 2018! One of my favorite perks of being a member is the private members-only lounge at every Insomniac event! The structure at this year’s HARD was built by Live The Night Entertainment and unlike any other lounge I’ve experienced! Fully air conditioned, private bar, free snacks, meet & greets with the CEO, surprise DJ sets, free games, photo opportunities & SO much more! I can’t wait to see what they come up with at Glen Helen for Nocturnal Wonderland next month!

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!