Every festival has its own unique characteristics that make their experience special. Whether it’s the artists that play, the venue, the food, the people, or something else entirely, each aspect is varied for every event. However, there are very few festivals that can deliver on all of their various aspects. Paradiso is hands down, one of those festivals.
There is nothing quite like western Washington’s Gorge. The venue is small enough to explore quickly, and the distance from one stage to another is relatively short. Thankfully, it is also big enough to give everyone room to sit or dance. Not once during the festival did it ever feel too cramped during a set, even when the most scheduled artists played.
The best part about The Gorge is the INCREDIBLE views. The main stage overlooks the river and mountains, as the clouds gloss over the horizon. As the sun sets, the clouds turn into a cotton candy pink and bright orange. It is no wonder that The Gorge is considered one of the most beautiful venues in the Pacific North West. Every festival goer should put this venue on their bucket list.
Paradiso is also unique because it is a camping festival. Camping had 4 tiers including GA, Premier, Gold, and Terrace. This year there were so many campers that Live Nation created an area for overflow! GA got to experience the festival before the festival Thursday night, with many campers setting up sound systems that brought many squads from all the campsites.
Since Live Nation and USC Events are separate entities, there were a few problems getting everyone situated in their respective campsites. Thankfully, most of these were resolved by the end of the first evening.
Showers for the campsites took roughly 1-3 hours depending on the time of day for those in the Gold campsite; general camping experienced even longer lines. Since there were only 2 showers per gender, the lines became backed up extremely quickly.
Regardless of the minor flaws, camping at the festival certainly made the experience more intimate and memorable!
Photo was taken from Paradiso site
USC Events undoubtedly outdid themselves this year with their best line up to date. Washington is known for its love of grimier, dirtier bass. Artists like Kai Waichi, G Jones, Minnesota B2B Buku, and Rezz whipped the crowd into a frenzy, with bass-heads and wooks getting down to the hard-hitting tracks.
Those were not the only artists who made a splash at Paradiso this year. Acts like Droeloe, Troyboi, Louis the Child, Ganja White Night, and Netsky exemplified the epitome of their respective genres. Each one played unique sets that kept attracting people to their sets and kept the crowd wanting more.
Photo was taken from Louis the Child Facebook page
Unfortunately, because there were so many good artists, a lot of artists ended up playing at the same time. Thankfully, since there was a lot of space to move around, it was easy to navigate from one stage to the next.
One of the most interesting events during the Insomniac Festival was the weather on the second day. After raining lightly throughout the night and early morning, the rain started to pour pretty hard as soon as the festival opened up. It subsided again around 5, only to begin pouring again around 6. Festival-goers were told to take shelter until the weather subsided, but the rain only continued. Eventually, the organizers of the festival shut the festival down temporarily due to a lightning advisory warning.
Due to the weather, some sets including Justin Martin, Pendulum, and Louis the Child were cut short.
Overall the festival undoubtedly exceeded all of its expectations. Regardless of its minor inconveniences, the festival is certainly one of a kind! Be on the lookout for next years Paradiso, there is no doubt that it will be just as amazing as this years.