Sunset Music Festival was held in Tampa, Florida May 23rd and 24th. The day before the festival, we packed our bags and headed to Tampa. There were several hotels within walking distance of the festival which made it very convenient so festival attendees didn’t have to worry about driving and parking if they chose to stay close by. This was a non-camping festival, which made the location close to hotels very beneficial. The 2-day festival was held at Raymond James Stadium. Music started at 2 pm and ended at 12 am Saturday and Sunday.
There were three stages including the Eclipse Stage, the Horizon Stage and the Sunset Stage. Some additional features of the festival included a cool off tent, a free water tent and an artist meet and greet area. There was also a live broadcast at the festival where fans were able to interact with the artists and ask them questions. Botnek mentioned that they loved the ability to connect with fans and create that relationship with them by answering questions they had. They spoke about how much they love their fans and how happy it makes them to be able to interact with them. This is a common trend I have found among artists- their love for their fans. Artists always speak about how passionate they are about their fans and how without them, they wouldn’t be able to live their dream. This is a reminder of just how important each and every person attending a festival is. Without everyone coming together for the love of music, festivals wouldn’t be possible… and if you have ever attended a festival you know just how amazing and unique each and every festival is.
The main stage was massive and was very open which left plenty of room for festies to view and dance. The cool off tent was also conveniently located near the main stage, which made it easy to still listen to the music if people needed to take a break from the sun. The first day artists including Mako, TJR, Oliver Heldens and Skrillex performed. Skrillex is skilled in his mixing ability to transition fast and mix in a variety of styles. You will never be bored and there is never a dull moment during a Skrillex set. I also enjoy how he interacts with the crowd. He is great at making that connection with the fans. I always feel like he is just hanging out with all of us while playing. It is truly amazing to experience that beautiful connection he makes. Mako’s set was very uplifting and filled with positive feelings and vibes. We were able to catch an interview with Mako. Check it out here:
http://festpop.com/news/interview-with-mako-at-sunset-music-festival/
The Horizon stage was also very open and my person favorite. The first day artists including SNBRN, Mija, Bixel Boys, Trippy Turtle, Cashmere Cat, Destructo, and Tchami performed. Trippy Turtle and Cashmere cat did a surprise B2B set. Trippy Turtle and Cashmere Cat are both from Norway and grew up together. The day that Trippy Turtle performed was actually National Turtle Day- Ironic! Both Trippy Turtle and Cashmere Cat have so much style of stage when they perform and have great chemistry performing and vining together. Trippy Turtle has also been through 5-6 Turtle hoodies. Mija also had a killer set. She dropped a remix of Lean On and the Motez edit of Zodiac by Teki Latex. She ended her set with a SNBRN track, which made it perfect for SNBRN to transition in for his set right after. He started out with his remix Sexual Healing by Marin Gaye. SNBRN has some awesome chilled out remixes of old school tunes that we all know and love including 21 questions by 50 cent and All that she Wants by Ace of Base.
Bixel Boys also had an awesome set and dropped Torro Torro’s remix of Badman by Autoerotique.
The first night the Eclipse Stage had artists including Andrew Rayel, Marlo, Solarstone, Arctic Moon perform. If you like trance, uplifting and feel good music. This was the stage to be at the first night.
On Sunday Slander murdered the main stage. They played from 5-6 pm, which was the perfect time of day for everyone to dance and get down to their set in the daylight. They dropped the track Gud Vibrations and vibrations spread throughout the crowd and hit us all.
Audien and Showtek also hit the main stage on Sunday. Showtek dropped Booyah and we all shared a moment in the crowd as we got down to the dirty beat. Armin Van Buuren closed down the main stage with his uplifting trance, ending off the night with nothing but happy vibes. Viceroy performed earlier in the day on the Horizon Stage. Their chill, summer music sent out those feel good vibes, which perfect for the nice weather. Thomas Jack, Robin Shultz and Porter Robinson performed on the Horizon Stage as well. Porter closed down the Horizon stage and left the crown with “the feels.” After Porter’s set we all felt warm and fuzzy inside. Flosstrodomaus closed down the Eclipse Stage. If you like to twerk, this was the place to be.
The crowd at Sunset was amazing! There was nothing but good vibes beaming throughout the entire festival. The crowd and staff were extremely friendly. The lineup was incredibly with great diversity of EDM genres. I also enjoyed that the festival was from 2 pm-12 am with after parties if people didn’t get their fill of music and wanted to continue dancing and enjoying the party. The time slots for artists were also organized very well in coordination with time of day and which day each artist was playing. It was also easy to get to and from each stage and no stage ever seemed too crowded. We had an awesome time at Sunset and can’t wait to be back next year!
By Festpop Staff Writer: Suzanne Ledford
