Photo: DV
ATLANTA, GEORGIA — Imagine Music Festival (IMF), Atlanta’s premier EDM festival set in the industrial Atlanta Motor Speedway, offered a weekend of non-stop electronic adventures. During our time at #IMF2016, we were delighted to take part in a plethora of amazing experiences, from interacting with dressed-up mermaids at the splash pool, to raging on a dance floor surrounded by flame-throwing towers at the Disco Inferno stage. Unforgettable memories were made in the hot Georgia sun while dancing from stage to stage with EDM-fueled beats.
Photo: DV
IMF offered six expertly produced stages all with their own state-of-the-art speaker systems and light shows. The main stage, Oceana, bolstered the festival’s biggest dubstep and electro house artists. It was the largest and most decked out stage at the festival. It featured several fire shooting arrays as well as unique AQUA fountains which projected 3-D holograms. The main stage also featured ginormous Funktion-1 Vero sound system, which packed a loud, heavy and crystal clear sound with extra bass. It was a true delight to hear artists like Zeds Dead and Adventure Club over such an impressive sound system.
Photo: DV
Atlantis was the most impressive stage. Atlantis stage was built in a giant geodesic fire-breathing dome named Incendia. Incendia has been featured at other festivals like Mysteryland. I watched in awe as myself and other attendees danced underneath a DJ Pod suspended 10 feet from the ground as fire poured straight downwards from above our heads. Music from artists like PhuturePrimitive and Spankalicious blasted out of the loudspeakers from the Atlantis stage all weekend.
Photo: DV
Overall, I didn’t spend much time at the Aeria stage, which was set up inside a large circus tent. Although I did stop by for some pretty noteworthy artists, like DJ sets from Pendulum and Dirtyphonics on Saturday night. I spent most of my time at the Amazonia stage, which featured amazing sets from The Polish Ambassador, Beats Antique, Opiou, and Lotus. Sounds of Jam Bands and Psychedelic Bass music came from this stage. Both Amazonia and Oceania stages had large tree-shaped tarp structures nearby for attendees to catch some shade in the scorching sun.
Photo: DV
For me the racetrack environment left something to be desired. I did find moments of awe when observing the various dancers, circus performers, and fire-spinners brought in by CirqueUSA. I enjoyed all of the extravagant and creative costumes, the incredible fire-spinning, and impressive circus feats on the Amazonia and Oceania stages. Mermaids, jungle animals, and sea creatures of all kinds helped create the advertised Aquatic Fairly Tale.
Photo: DV
The festival campgrounds were large and expansive–plenty of room to explore and meet smiling faces. The campgrounds also featured a silent disco area. Several other amenities were available for both VIP and GA campers. The VIP area offered air-conditioned showers and bathrooms, which saved campers from the long lines for showers in the morning. There were also misting and water refill stations, which were vital during the midday heat. Retail and food vendors were available both inside the venue and in the campgrounds.
Photo: DV
We’re excited to see where Imagine Festival goes in the future. The musical lineup has always been fire! We hope that the festival will be able to put more resources into stage design and developing immersive environments. This place was magical and we look forward to seeing what direction the festival takes in 2017 and beyond!
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Written by: Colin Eldridge
