Imagine Music Festival 2015 brings growth, love and EDM

Imagine Music Festival has done it again. After attending last year's inaugural event and being blown away by the execution, fans in attendance, and lineup, it seemed unimaginable that it could once again exceed expectations (which were already high after a full year of well-earned hype). But they did it. No, scratch that. WE did it. The festival producers, the lineup, and the fans--everyone came together to make the second Imagine Music Festival an overwhelming success.



Photo used with permission from Adam May for Examiner.com

The two-day dance music festival opened on Saturday, August 29 at the beautiful combined venues of Historic Fourth Ward Park, Masquerade Music Park and Clear Creek Basin. Even in the early hours of the festival, there was a palpable electricity in the air: IMF 2015 was finally here, and everyone was happy to be there. Flow artists immediately found spaces to hoop and poi, dancers went up near the stage, party crews gathered around their totems, and rave families camped out with blankets. Once inside the grounds, we were transported to a far away place, even though we were still right in the middle of the city.

For those wanting a little more comfort, VIP was the way to go. The swank VIP section next to main stage offered comfortable couches, candles and ambiance, as well as a hookah bar, a drink bar, and a food vendor with delicious-looking burgers. A two-story platform provided great views of the entire festival, and there was also a ground section that lead all the way to the front of the stage.

New to Imagine Music Festival this year was the Lost City of Imaginarium. Located directly behind (or above, depending on your point of view) the Imaginarium stage, this area was the home of a variety of classes and workshops focused on sacred teachings such as flow arts, yoga, meditation, and more throughout the festival. This area also made a wonderful chill zone away from the crowds at the Oceania main stage and Amazonia second stage.

Another addition to this year's IMF was the use of Masquerade's Purgatory room as the Chill House. This room was equipped with plenty of room to dance, a bar, lights, and a few other things you don't usually get at festivals: plumbing and air conditioning! The aptly named Chill House featured a 6-hour block from the Deep Technicians on Saturday, a 4-hour block from 1200 Hustle on Sunday, and several other artist sets throughout the weekend.

There were so many great artists on the lineup, that it was hard to see every show. Luckily, all of the stages were within a few short minutes walking distance from each other, making it possible to catch partial sets at multiple stages. The only set that was missed completely was Lil Jon, who unfortunately had some medical issues that prevented him from flying.

Some of my favorite moments from the sets were when Brillz played a spoken word version of Snopp Dogg's "Gin and Juice," which got a lot of chuckles from the crowd. GRiZ got everyone moving and grooving (as he does best) to his version of the Bee Gees "Stayin' Alive," which upped the energy to the next level. The combination of Android Jones trippy visuals with Tipper's closing set was the perfect way to end Saturday. But the winner with the most memorable moments for me would be Fyer. During his early Sunday set, Fyer got on the mic, setting the tone for the day and spreading the love: "Introduce yourself to someone you don't know." Thanks to him, this reporter met Dominic from the San Francisco area, who told me: "I just love EDM and festivals. While I'm on the East Coast, I'm also hitting up EDC Orlando and TomorrowWorld." Fyer then closed his set with a sing along request during a trap remix of John Lennon's "Imagine" followed by Adventure Club's "Gold"--the theme song for last year's IMF.

It was great to see some of my favorite aspects of IMF 2015 return this year. Flow and fire performers and dancers were once again given the stage to show off their art. The Patriot Brass Atlanta made another appearance, marching through the crowd in uniform and playing horn versions of popular hits. Georgia Parkour Academy ditched their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle identities from last year, but upped their game with a structure built for them to do tricks off of in the middle of the festival grounds. The vendors were also expanded for this year and offered an even greater variety of wares, including several tents of object manipulation and flow arts props. Evil Sheep was set up front and center, likely so they could be in the middle of the party while still sharing their unique lifestyle wear.

Due to the location and city noise ordinances, the festival wrapped up at 11 p.m. each night, but that didn't mean the fun was over! Official after parties with IMF headliners kept the party going into the early hours each night. On Saturday, the sold-out official after party held at the Masquerade featured GRiZ, Marty Party, Le Castle Vania and others, while the overflow party at Iris offered a mix of local talent and headliners. There was even an official after party on Sunday, for those that were smart enough to take Monday off work!

The word is out, and Imagine is growing at a rapid pace. By late Saturday afternoon to early evening, it was obvious that attendance had increased dramatically from last year. (Final attendance numbers are expected to be in the 23-25k range over the weekend, compared to last year's 15-20k.) It seems the only way Imagine Music Festival will be able to continue due to its popularity will be for it to evolve. "We hope to be able to stay at this beautiful site, however, it seems as if we may have already outgrown our first home," said owner Glenn Goodhand. "We do have many breathtaking prospect sites in negotiation. Some of these prospect sites will allow us to provide camping and other new and exciting features as Imagine Festival develops."

No matter how Imagine Music Festival evolves, it is bound to be a success. These guys truly love what they do, and it shows in the execution of the festival. The fans, in turn, feel this love, which they share with everyone in attendance. "The moment on stage when we asked if everyone had fun, and the response by the roar of the crowd was deafening brought us all to tears," shared Goodhand. "This is why we all work tirelessly to provide everyone a few of those special moments in life that will last forever in hearts and minds."

As a special thank you, Imagine is having a customer appreciation sale on weekend passes for IMF 2016 from now until September 14. Get them now, and see you next year!

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