Article and photos by Hannah Andersen for Festival Squad
Just last week we said goodbye to 2017 and welcomed 2018 with open arms. For those of us at Snowta, we started off the new year headbanging with Excision. When the clock struck midnight, a marriage of balloons, confetti and dubstep filled the Minneapolis Convention Center. 
It was an unforgettable evening. As well as Excision, we also spent the weekend with Gucci Mane, Post Malone, Pretty Lights, Ganja White Night and many other talented artists performing on four separate stages. Here are some of the things at Snowta that I was pleasantly surprised to see.
Human Bowling
I was told that there was a thing called “human bowling” happening at Snowta. I have never seen nor heard of such a thing and once again, had no idea what to expect. My friend and I came to the conclusion that it must be bowling with actual human body parts. Thankfully, it wasn’t so morbid. (I was slightly disappointed). 
The idea is to hop inside this giant, inflatable ball and knock the equally giant pins down. It’s definitely not as easy as it sounds. Throughout the weekend, I watched many festival-goers struggle to even walk in the ball let alone push down the pins. A fun activity for those who aren’t claustrophobic.
JOYRYDE
This was my first time seeing a JOYRYDE set so of course, I had no idea what to expect. As of now, I’m already looking forward to the next time I get to see him. Within the first five minutes, he captured the attention of the entire mainstage crowd and everybody in the photo pit. As I shot photos, I couldn’t help but dance at the same time. It was hands down one of my favorite sets of the weekend. If you like house as much as I do, please attend a JOYRYDE set! You will not regret it.
So. Much. Art.
I love watching artists do their thing – whether it’s musicians, photographers or painters. At Snowta, we were lucky enough to witness it all. I came across three different locations throughout the festival where everybody got to watch some very talented painters working on various pieces. 
Not only did these artists create spectacular final works but they turned their skills into performance pieces and let us observe their creative process. Snowta artists, we applaud you.
BEAR GRILLZ
I wasn’t ready. I was not ready at all for that set. No dramatic entrance, no elaborate visuals and Bear Grillz still held one of the most heavy, powerful presences. The first fifteen minutes I was photographing fans on the rail, everybody was going completely insane. I think every single person in that room was either headbanging or smiling ear to ear during Bear Grillz. It was one of my favorite moments from Snowta. There’s just something about dubstep that gives us all a warm, fuzzy feeling (heh).
Thank you, Snowta, for giving us the perfect combination of art, music and entertainment for New Years Eve. And thank you also for holding this event indoors – Minnesota winters suck.