The weekend has come and gone, and with it, so has Digital Dreams. The music festival, as well as a slew of monstrous after-parties that followed it, upped the ante from years past, leaving thousands of Toronto’s most faithful EDM fans with memories to last a lifetime.
Let’s start off with what was new this year. For one, they included a fourth stage (which transitioned from trance the first day, to house the second day). They also added RFID bracelets (providing a cashless payment system for the first time in Canadian festival history). While daunting in sheer size and scale, Digital Dreams’ four stages were well mapped out, providing easy access from stage to stage while still keeping audio-bleed to a minimum, which is a huge bonus. Each stage had a distinct feel as well, from Fantasyland/No.19 Social Experiment’s intimate stage by the lake, to the sandy shores of Echo Beach. RFID bracelets also turned out to be a welcome addition: entry and transactions were seamless, and not having to worry about losing cash was definitely a plus. Water stations were aplenty, too, which helped festival-goers combat the intense heat with a ton of hydration.
Production value was given a boost this year as well. The main stage (the largest ever assembled in Canada) came complete with screens, LED reflector panels and the obligatory festival lighting rig – all of which were a spectacle to behold upon nightfall as the headliners (and everyone else for that matter) all put their surroundings to good use.
And then, of course, there was the music. Sixty-eight (Paul Oakenfold unfortunately had flight issues and could not make the festival) international and local artists took to their respective stages and delivered dozens of memorable sets.
Published: Jul 2, 2014 02:09 pm