Photos via: ALIVE Coverage
Written by: Kyle Yan
In just two weeks, Dallas will be filled with EDM-hungry fans piling up for another year of Lights All Night at the Dallas Market Hall on December 28 and 29. Lights All Night features some of the biggest names in the electronic music scene and will be adding more interactive amenities than ever before, such as an exclusive 50-person freeplay game lounge from DreamHack, and a fully immersive art-inspired lounge from Dallas’ own Sweet Tooth Hotel; there is no question why this is considered one of the biggest festivals to end the year with.
Starting with Diplo, He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic music project Major Lazer, and worked with producer and DJ Skrillex as electronic duo Jack Ü. Diplo worked on production and mixtape projects with many other pop artists such as M.I.A., Usher, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown and Snoop Dogg.
Excision is known for his bass-heavy sounds created using bass and drums, along with aggressive metal with hip-hop vibes. Being a producer of dubstep, drum and bass, and breakbeat; he is also known from his tours with immense sound and huge visual productions.
If you have been on the EDM scene for a while, then the name Kaskade should not take you by surprise. Voted “America’s Best DJ” in 2011 and 2013, this is the artist you do not want to miss out on. Kaskade has headlined for other popular festivals such as Ultra Music Festival, Coachella Valley Music Festival, and the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas. Tiesto, another all-time great DJ will be headlining at Lights All Night. Regarded as the “Godfather of EDM” this should set alerts off on how big this DJ is. From the old trance days to now, Tiesto is still going strong.
With all these big-name EDM DJs as headliners, one game changer this year is hip-hop artist Gucci Mane, performing at the festival. Gucci Mane has worked with artists such as Drake, Lil Wayne, and Chris Brown. In 2016, Gucci Mane got his first number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with the track “Black Beatles” featuring Rae Sremmurd.
Lights All Night is filled with many other up-and-rising artists as well, such as “The Alien Boy” Oliver Tree, who has opened for Zedd this recent summer. This artist has a unique style in both fashion and music with a fun and nostalgic performance nonetheless. OWSLA’s prospering artists Josh Pan and Ekali will be performing at different times so you have no excuse to miss them. Josh Pan dropped his new song “Take Your Time” recently and he is not your typical electronic artist, with roots that stem from hip-hop, rock and jazz. Ekali has made a rapid rise since 2015 when Drake sampled his song “Unfaith” into “Preach” and “Wednesday Night Interlude” from If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. Not kidding.
The alpha of feels music Jai Wolf will be closing out on Friday night. His euphoric music has a 90% chance of making you cry because I did. He has toured with Odesza this year and you don’t want to sleep on his set. Lastly, Hotel Garuda will be closing the show Saturday so don’t forget to check-in to his set and prepare for a life-changing stay. Accommodations include feels, good vibes and friends yet to be made.
This year’s official charity partner for Lights All Night is DFW Rescue Me, which is a Dallas-based, foster-based pet rescue nonprofit. LAN will be donating a portion of proceeds from this year’s success to support the local nonprofit. In addition, DFW Rescue Me is also currently facilitating a pet adoption pop-up event at the Galleria Dallas Mall until January 1. Any fan who simply stops by the adoption pop-up center will automatically be entered for a chance to win 2 GA tickets to this year’s Lights All Night while those who also adopt a pet on-site at the adoption holiday pop-up will be entered for a chance to win 2 VIP tickets. Festival attendees will also have a chance to win 2 VIP upgrades on Saturday of the event by donating winter supplies for animals in need (including dog blankets, sanitary wipes, potty pads, and cash) in specially marked bins that will be located at the festival’s box office at Dallas Market Hall.
With the amazing artists, enhanced on-site festival experiences and installations, Lights All Nights is the festival you do not want to miss this year. Be sure to secure your GA or VIP passes here and get ready for the New Year’s event of a lifetime!
