North Coast Solidifies Position As Superior Choice for Labor Day Weekend Festivities

North Coast Festival concluded a perfect Labor Day weekend and is a shining example of an organized, thoughtful, and truly fun event.

North Coast Festival marked its most successful year to date with it’s 13^th edition hosting over 70,000 attendees at Seatgeek Stadium in Chicagoland. Even before the event started, the festival dropped one of the most alluring and diverse lineups catering to a range of tastes, from house and dubstep to experimental bass and more.

As you stepped onto the festival’s squishy turf, you couldn’t help but notice the ample space around you while still feeling close to the stage in any given area. The festival grounds were designed for easy navigation and provided plenty of seating areas for weary feet.

Speaking of stages, North Coast’s newest stage design, The Vega, was massive hosting a WAKAAN takeover on Friday with sets from Cannabliss, Jantsen, Champagne Group, Wreckno, Champagne Drip, and Liquid Stranger. On Saturday, the mood shifted to house music with sets from Hugel, Chris Lorenzo, MK, and DJ Snake to close. On the last day there was a mix of artists gracing the stage with immersive performances by NGHTMRE, Big Gigantic, and Atliens.

Though our personal favorite was the Shipyard stage, a creatively constructed production made from shipping containers and minimal LED screens that cast a moody atmosphere once night fell. A small yet important detail to note was at this stage there were never intermissions between artists. The music was constantly playing while seamlessly transitioning from one artist set to another. A very cool and gangster thing to witness from Kyle Watson to Cloonee to Chris Lake’s set on Sunday.

Giving Mad Max meets bass music was The Fire Pit stage was fashioned as a metal dome with enormous flame cannons spouting at the top adding an edgy flair to North Coast’s profile. Here we were blessed with performances from Masteria, Daily Bread, A Hundred Drums, YUNIT, and more.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, North Coast featured a full-size indoor soccer field with hundreds of lasers with a stage called The Chill Dome. With 90-degree weather, attendees could cool off and rest in the air-conditioned space while listening to the sounds of INZO, Surf Mesa, and Champagne Drip.

In the actual Seatgeek Stadium was mainstage with some unforgettable acts like fan favorites. Closing out Friday was Marshmello who brought Jauz on stage to wish him a happy 30^th birthday. Saturday the stadium packed out for the beloved Zeds Dead duo, and on Sunday fans were in awe of Flume’s Palaces show.

After indulging in some unexpected but delicious dumplings in the marketplace, we embarked on a side quest to find the secret speakeasy Club Coast. Guided by clues from the North Coast app, our quest led us to a hidden bar where we savored tasty drinks and an incredible view of the main stage.

Perhaps one of the most underrated things to mention about North Coast is the artistic touches interwoven into the festival in conjunction with the stage designs. There were several art installations for photo ops like the Bass Bot, Rainbow Lounge, The Giant, but also these massive colorful cubes that transformed the space into a beautiful backdrop against the sunset.

North Coast Festival embodies the element of good times and good vibes with your best friends. The event’s success is attributed to the meticulous amount of work and details put in to create an unforgettable experience for festival-goers.