This year, June 29th and 30th marked a highly-successful Bud Light Dreams Festival in Toronto thanks to a superbly-curated lineup, cleanly-executed festival production, and picture-perfect summer weather compared to the rainy gloom of recent years.
Dreams Fest is an annual commitment for Toronto locals and a delightful getaway for out-of-towners, such as myself. If I had to describe my experience in one word, it would be “pleasant.” Here’s the full scoop on this charming, boutique music festival!
Bud Light Dreams Festival Highlights
I had next to zero expectations heading into the festival, planning on letting my Dreams Fest veteran friends guide me through the weekend. For someone who usually has a plan, it was super refreshing to take this approach. Who knows if I would have encountered the massive shuffle party at Anna Lunoe or caught Phantoms’ surprise set at River Bar otherwise!
Lineup
There was magic in every set, but a few really left a lasting impression. On top of the following, we were also treated to extended sets by Dom Dolla, Gorgon City, and Duke Dumont due to Mark Knight missing his flight to Toronto. (Super unfortunate, Mark, but I wanted to let you know your boys at the Waterfront Stage threw down extra spice in your honor.)
Billy Kenny
There are few DJs who visibly enter the flow state while performing the way Billy does. This is a set I took my friends who had never heard of Billy Kenny to. His mesmerizing energy, bobbing to the beat with a cigarette hanging off his lip, was the first thing they commented on. Needless to say, they’re big fans now.
At one point, I looked back at the crowd to take it all in and noticed a man bawling and shaking his head as he stared up at the stage. I felt his emotions deep in my soul because I knew exactly what he was experiencing; I actually cried when I first discovered Billy Kenny’s music.
Felix Cartal
For my first time catching Felix live, I was impressed with the way he smoothly delivered an eclectic range of genres in his set. Earlier on in the mix, he hit us with Matroda’s remix of deadmau5’s “Strobe,” and I was shook. Needless to say, I stuck around for a while after that.
Claptone
I’ve seen Claptone before, but I’ve never been close enough to the stage to notice how theatrical his performance is. Being front row, I received a gold mask from presumably someone on his PR team. Putting it on projected me deep into the audiovisual experience of Claptone, who told a spooky story using only theatrical gestures and the booming bass. The whole thing was just spectacular.
Production
Overall, this was one of the smaller festivals I’ve attended, with acts spanning three total stages as well as an area called River Bar. Despite the ease of navigation, I still averaged 13 miles of activity per day, thanks to all the shuffling. I could also pretty much see the entire fest grounds at all of the stages but still didn’t experience sound bleed.
Dream House
Dream House was a tented stage nested in between the RBC Echo Beach Stage (main stage) and the Waterfront Stage. The tent design seemed to help contain and amplify the sound spectacularly. Don’t mistake this for a lack of bass; Dream House hosted dubstep and trance all weekend, and the bass never failed to give me a good smack across the face anytime I dipped inside.
Waterfront
The build of Waterfront seemed a bit awkward at first until I actually approached the stage, since a large grassy hill seemed to encroach on the dancing space in front of it. This hill turned out to be an amazing aspect of the design, whether it was intentional or not – it was the perfect place to sit down and enjoy the weather, the beat, and the company of friends.
River Bar
This area hosted a small treehouse-looking stage, the front of which was reserved for VIP experience. I came by both nights to catch Ryan Shepherd kill it (check out my on-site interview with him here) and drop all my favorite house tracks and to watch Phantoms chug Grey Goose to the beat as they threw down.
Vibes
Overall, it was obvious that the crowd was there for the music. People were super respectful of your dancing space and waiting in line for Bud Light or the bathrooms (not that there was ever much of a line to begin with) was a breeze. I don’t think I caught a single whiff of cigarette smoke, either.
This is a festival you’re going to leave feeling relaxed rather than wrecked, which tends to be the m.o. of EDM festivals. Dreams Fest, thank you for making my weekend getaway such a stress-less, positive experience! Until next year!
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