Photo credit: OHDAGYO Photography
In the festival community, the sheer mention of Hard Summer invites a firestorm of opinions – some glowing, some scathing. Last August’s event at Glen Helen Amphitheater saw the bittersweet exit of Hard head honcho, Gary Richards, who along with curating the festival also treated festival goers to a star-studded set complete with loyal shipfam dancing on stage. The conclusion of that event left Hard devotees wondering what would become of the dynamic event, a festival that always provided the perfect mix of electronic music legends, up and comers and cutting edge hip-hop, a tough to replicate formula.
The August 4-5 dates for Hard Summer 2018 were revealed back in January with commenters immediately chiming in with requests for more/less hip hop, better event organization and venue preference. Today, we got more answers about the mercurial event.
Considering the promised improvements are points that embattled Hard attendees have been making for years, it seems someone at the helm is finally listening. Plans to better the experience include more entrances and exits, additional free water stations, a more efficient layout and much more. The festival also plans to enlist the help of Insomniac’s health and safety, Ground Control, security, traffic and logistics teams, which address just about all the areas that past attendees voiced major concerns with.
The next big announcement will be the most telling of all – the lineup. Can the new management match the level and diversity of talent Hard faithful are used to seeing? Or will Hard Events become a part of festival lore, leaving veterans to yearn for the “old days” when Gary led the charge? Hard Summer knows it fills a unique space on the festival circuit and when the lineup drops we’ll be sure to share our take on what’s always one of the season’s most legendary events! Click here to check out the event website.
If you simply cannot wait until August, and who can blame you, Hard Events makes its triumphant return to a different speedway next month at Electric Daisy Carnival’s Cosmic Meadow stage. See what they have in store for Las Vegas below!