ALL I CAN SAY IS ‘WOW‘
When I first decided that I was going to attend Lights All Night 2019, I was slightly excited, but also slightly unsure. In previous years, I had always celebrated NYE on the actual night… And usually with Bassnectar. So deviating from the normal was well…. ab-normal.
I’M PROUD TO SAY THOUGH- LAN 2019 EXCEEDED EVERY EXPECTATION I HAD AND THEN SOME.
Outside of just having an amazing lineup (truly it was to die for), the people I met while I was at LAN really made it special. When I was driving 5.5 hours to visit my boyfriends family in Amarillo, I really sat back and thought about those encounters. I felt grateful to have had them. Meeting good people- it’s one of the biggest reasons I fell in love with the EDM world. Check out the official Rave Hackers Review below!
I. TICKETS
Overall the ticket buying process was relatively easy. Of course, since there weren’t any camping necessary and options were relatively limited, the decision process was pretty easy. My boyfriend and I decided to purchase VIP passes for this event which cost us $230.92/ ticket. Here are the highlights:
- Sitting space near the front of the stage
- Exclusive, easy access, flushable bathrooms (with a mirror AND A/C)
- Access to the front of the stage/rail at all times
- No line/wait to get inside
- No wristbands sent out pre-festival (all wristbands are acquired at the door!)
NOTE: YOU DO NOT NEED A WRISTBAND TO GET IN, YOU DO NEED YOUR MOBILE TICKET.
OVERALL: Full star. The price for value was fair for what you got included in your tickets and the process was effortless to purchase/verify. To me, having space to sit, breathe, and go to the front of the stage without dying was priceless.
2. SECURITY & SAFETY
This is something that’s always a big question for festival attendees- and rightly so. It can definitely ruin an experience if you have security breathing down your throat the entire time (cough cough, Lost Lands 2017, cough). However, it was great to say that most, if not all, of the security staff and medical staff at LAN were fantastic!
- Security was friendly and asked which artists I was excited to see at the door
- Throughout the venue the security staff were friendly, even when directing inebriated attendees through the appropriate doors
- Crowd control was exceptional- there were security stationed at all doors / entries make sure the ‘flow of traffic’ was appropriate (one side designated as in, one side designated as out).
- Medical staff were very friendly and I often saw them dancing and PLURing with attendees. One set of medical responders were even handing out ‘decorative’ headbands!
- Didn’t have any issues bringing in my blogging camera (canon g7x mark II)
NOTE: SECURITY WAS NOT LAX DURING ENTRY FOR CERTAIN ITEMS SUCH AS METAL WATERBOTTLES, SELFIE STICKS, AND TOTEMS
OVERALL: 3/4th star. The security team was exceptional and seemed to enjoy themselves during the event too. The medical staff was attentive and easy to approach if needed. The venue security controlled the flow of traffic into and out of the stage rooms which kept traffic flowing constantly rather than getting hung up. Getting into the venue was a breeze, however, it was disappointing that no totems were allowed inside because well… how else am I supposed to find my friends in the crowd >.<
3. Decorations
Outside of the artists, the decorations/art installations at festivals are my favorite part of these events! Especially when I feel like I’m paying a pretty penny, I like to know it’s going towards something I can show for it (aka- in my pictures). LAN had quite a few different installations/ art spots for attendees to take pictures which was great. I feel like at other indoor events, sometimes the art gets lost in it all to accommodate for crowd space. Positives and negativees though, right![/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
- A couple different areas to take pictures in that had plenty of space throughout the weekend for pictures
- Iconic areas that made for fun and ‘interactive’ for the attendees (namely the disco ball room!)
- A shark that you could ride like a bull
- Mikes Hard Lemonade neon room
- BedHead Boho beadroom setup
- Big LAN letters that lit up and you could sit on the ‘L’ during sets!
- Costumed characters and dancers on stage and throughout the venue
- Fire hooper!
OVERALL: Full star. I personally thought there were some really great areas to take pictures/ decorations that made the event more memorable. Below you can see some of those installations- they were amazing. I also loved that they had costumed characters dancing and running around the event venue throughout the two days
4. MUSIC
Clearly, this was the biggest reason that I chose to go to LAN this year. The lineup itself was stacked with artists that I personally love, as well as artists that I was dying to see again. My only complaint about the lineup was that the days were definitely scheduled with like genres together. Although I know this was done to help sell single-day tickets, it would have been nice to get some diversity on day two to break up the headbanging. Another big factor was the sound system and the overall presentation of the artists to the crowd. Each stage was different, but I think the Intergalactic stage was my favorite because you were almost even with the artists! A stacked lineup with big-name artists!
- Not a lot of major schedule conflicts (at least for me and my group!)
- Diversity in the overall lineup
- The screens were a little low quality for the visuals. Overall not a big deal-breaker for me because they were big AF, and I don’t really look at the visuals. But for Louis, it would have been nice!
- The sound system sounded good most of the time, but sometimes during sets, it would get quiet randomly… and then get loud again.
OVERALL: 1/5 STARS. Although the artists were amazing and the day by day lineups awesome, I was disappointed that they were having sound issues (especially after they’ve faced these issues in previous years). As well- the screens were HUGE, but the quality was low up close which was a little bit of a letdown as well.
5. Venue
This is the bit that I think impressed me the most about my experience at Lights All Night. I usually don’t prefer ‘indoor festivals’ simply because I think the venues just aren’t large enough to truly enjoy the music, or they’re location leaves a lot to be desired. For LAN 2019, however, was great.
- Four stages, plus a silent disco, with no sound bleed over unless changing rooms (expected)
- The venue was large inside for people to all have space to dance without being on top of one another
- Air circulation was great- it was definitely cold in the venue before it got packed with people!
- Food options inside the venue so you could eat at the event
- Located in a decent part of town and within walking distance to some AirBNBs and hotels
- Located close to downtown Dallas (food, shopping, late-night delivery)
- The crowd itself was amazing. SO friendly and welcoming!
NOTE: IF YOU’RE ORDERING FOOD LATE NIGHT IN DALLAS, DOOR DASH IS THE GO-TO! THEY HAVE LATE NIGHT OPTIONS OPEN UNTIL 3 AM.
OVERALL: Full star. The venue really was impressive. The decorations were great, production levels were impressive (aside from the screen quality), and the crowd within the venue was PHENOMENAL. The Market Hall was centrally located to downtown Dallas and within the venue, the airflow was fab even though it was sold out.
