Join Us at Global Dance Festival for Sunshine, Art, and Dancing [Review]
The largest annual summer music festival in the Rocky Mountains returned to Colorado with even more stages and carnival rides compared to previously.
Despite living in Colorado my entire life, I somehow have never made it to Global Dance Festival until this year. International Dance Festival got its beginning at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, hosting a three-day encounter there for over ten decades. Beginning just a year ago, it moved places to Sports Authority Field at Mile High so it might greatly expand by incorporating even more stages with bigger production, a quiet disco, artwork installations, booths, food trucks, and carnival rides.
When I entered the case on both Friday and Saturday, I got to go through the separate VIP entrance that leads directly into the Global VIP Village. VIP ticket holders at this festival access private bars and food trucks, different air-conditioned baths, and plenty of cozy, shaded seating. I didn’t spend much time here, but it was the ideal place to step out of the audiences for a second and then take a well-needed break.
Before I headed out to find some music, I decided to stop by one of those water stations to fill up my Vibedration package. Staying hydrated is so important, especially when dancing for hours in the 95-degree Colorado summertime heat. International Dance Festival supplied two different water stations on opposite faces of the festival. Each channel had numerous jugs of water where you could self-fill your empty water bottles or hydration packs. For festival-goers which didn’t bring both of these in, every water channel did provide reusable cups as well.
Ultimately , I was ready to go to one of those five stages Global Dance supplied. The very first stage which I seen was the Summit Stage, that was the main stage at the festival. This stage was undoubtedly the largest and has been the only one not under a tent. This provided access to the greatest production as well as insane visuals including CO2 bursts, sparks, pyrotechnics, as well as fireworks. VIP ticket holders also got access to a distinct viewing distance right at the front of the stage, providing them a chance to ride the railing for their favourite artists. Jai Wolf, Illenium B2B Said The Sky, Machine Gun Kelly, Tiësto, and more graced this stage during the weekend.
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Following that, I journeyed to what quickly became my favourite stage: that the Amazon Stage. I stayed here most of the weekend for two reasons. To begin with, it was the most densely populated stage. The ceiling and columns holding up the tent were covered in flower-filled vines and leaves, which makes festival-goers feel like they have been dancing in the jungle (or, should I say, that the Amazon). The view was great from any portion of the audience, and it was almost hypnotic watching the way the lasers hit on the decorations. The second reason the Amazon Stage immediately became my home was because it was where all the house-heads, including me, gravitated. BIJOU, Claptone, Gorgon City, and more made the Amazon Stage shuffle paradise.
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Another stage which I spent a great deal of time was that the Northern Lights Stage. This stage was certainly the preferred for headbangers and anyone else that loves hard, filthy, dubstep. There was lots of space for attendees at this stage, and it supported up to the Genesis. So far as decorations go, the ceiling of this lengthy tent over the stage had numerous light bars and geometric shapes which changed colors and flashed, together with lights which would shine down into the crowd. DECADON (who headed the rail opening day two of the festival), ATLiens, Riot Ten, SoDown, Adventure Club, and much more made for several memorable places at this stage.
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A couple of times during the weekend, I decided to check out one of the smaller stages located in one of those corners of the festival: the Tundra Stage. This stage attracted a huge array of people, as you will find sets of almost every genre which took place here. I mostly caught some trance, but house, techno, and electropop were also showcased here. Not many decorations adorned this small tent aside from some icicles hanging around the screen utilized for visuals. AViVA, Darude, BlackGummy, Breathe Carolina, Cosmic Gate, and more could be found at this stage.
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The fifth and final stage I made sure to go over to was that the Crystal Cavern Silent Disco Stage. Being a Denver local, a great deal of friends and people I had met from the industry were doing during the weekend, so I clearly wished to show my support for them. This really is a great place to grab up-and-coming artists! Who knows, a number of them may be on one of those other stages ! This stage has been inside, under Sports Authority Field. Three DJs played at a time, so there have been three unique channels you could switch between. Red Comet, PUNJAHBAE, Mport, Freddy Rule, and more retained this stage bumping all weekend long.
When I wasn’t wandering from stage to stage, there have been plenty of different items to do to keep me occupied. Seven different carnival rides were sprinkled round the festival grounds, including the Vertigo, Supershot, and Sky Fire. I was definitely tempted to have a twist around the Vertigo to get a birds eye view of the festival. On the other hand, the lines were a bit too long for me and I was much more eager to catch as many places as I could until the weekend was over.
You will find also a great deal of artwork installations to watch and take photos with during the site. The Dragonfly Art Park has been a great grassy place that had, you guessed it, big inflatable dragonflies and tall metallic flowers bringing life to the region and providing some colour for breaks and/or short naps. Art installations could also be located inside the Global VIP Village, near water stations, and walking paths. A number of those pieces were brought back in this past year, and a few were curated especially for its 2018 version of the festival. Since the sun went down, the artwork pieces came to life and lit up with neon light or smaller flames.
The festival took place from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM both days, which ran directly through dinner period. The Food Truck Marketplace supplied a handful of unique trucks, providing festivalgoers plenty of choices for snacks, meals, and beverages. During my stop on the second day, I came during the busiest period and the lines to the food trucks had been too long for my liking (it is possible to see where my priorities lie ), so I chose to get food after the event instead. But, I absolutely wished I had stopped by sooner for Mac and Noodles, Sunshine Bowls, or The Orange Crush.
If eight hours of dancing, exploring, shopping at merch booths, also attending meet and greets wasn’t sufficient, Global Dance be sure to keep the party going until the early morning at different different clubs in downtown Denver. After Parties took place every night at Bar Standard, Beta Nightclub, The Church, and Temple Denver. Artists at these parties were not declared in advance, and were only recorded as”Surprise Guests” – so attendees had to move with their gut or pick their favourite club to keep the ball rolling.
A handful of unique artists that performed at the festival made appearances at those clubs, but the most mad B2B happened on Saturday night at Beta Nightclub. Adventure Club has been the surprise guest, but Illenium, Terravita, Francis Derelle, Bear Grillz, Riot Ten, Figure, Savoy, ATLiens, also JayKode managed to squeeze in the DJ booth night. Fans have been reeling on social media, sharing their own utter shock and pleasure with everyone that couldn’t come. I heard that next year, it’s absolutely worth it to sacrifice some sleep and attend at least one official after party. You never know who could appear!
In general, Global Dance Festival 2018 was absolutely wonderful. The stages were so amazing, I never once felt overcrowded, there was space to unwind, and a lot of things to do. This event undoubtably catered to everyone, and I’m really thankful I got to be part of it. Though I was roaming about , I felt like I was a part of the community. Everybody was kind and easy to talk to, plus I ran right into a bunch of local friends and artists (shoutout to the Global Dance team!) .
If you are looking to spend a weekend in Denver, Colorado next summer, I highly recommend it! This festival does not have camping, therefore I suggest searching through their official website in advance to secure resorts and transport together with tickets. I can’t wait for next year!
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