Ever After Festival rocks Kitchener with three days of non-stop EDM
At this past weekend’s Ever After Music Festival, electronic dance music fans young and old came together from near and far to enjoy a stacked lineup of the best contemporary EDM.
With two stages to choose from, along with rides, games, and food, attendees were never lacking something to do — whether that was grabbing some funnel cake or a drink in a hollowed-out fruit, riding the ferris wheel, or finishing the day off with some of the most hardcore EDM Ontario has to offer.
A solid line-up with excellent headliners kept the energy flowing. Friday night’s Flux Pavilion was a great way to kickstart the festival. His set had a little bit of everything, setting the tone for the next two days.
Saturday night was Illenium’s turn to rock the festival. Despite being less beat-heavy and more melodic, he did not disappoint. Everyone was dancing and singing along throughout his emotional roller coaster of a set.
Finally, like a sequel to a great movie, it’s hard to know what to expect from the final day of a festival — but even after the highlights of Friday and Saturday, Excision ended the weekend with a bang, combining pounding, non-stop bass with everything from pop to punk. Sunday may have been the last day, but you wouldn’t know from looking at the crowd.
30,000 people attended over the course of the weekend, but despite some day-one woes, including Wi-Fi issues slowing down festival entry and patrons overeager to enter the festival grounds, the place held together, and navigating the sea of people was part of the fun.
Things that would never be acceptable in everyday life were a common occurrence. Crazy costumes, stilt walkers, and performers dotted the grounds; and if you braved the crowd and ventured towards the stage the craziness stepped up a whole other level. Despite being shoulder to shoulder, people somehow managed to make room for mosh pits and headbang circles. Others stacked upwards of two people on their shoulders — one on top of another. At one point, people even crowd surfed a man on a wheelchair … as well as a man on a blow-up dingy — not as heartwarming but equally enjoyable to watch! Everyone was there to let loose and have fun.
Ever After was a joy to attend this year and will not be something I’ll soon forget. What started out as a much smaller festival in 2015 has begun to make a name for itself in the area and across the globe. It may be small compared to more established festivals like Electric Daisy Carnival or Tomorrowland, but Ever After is carving out its own place in the genre and still growing.
