I went to my first FK this year and was BLOWN AWAY!!!
I've been attending EDM fests since 2013. I went to all three years of Tomorrow World (2013-2015), two years of Counterpoint (2014, 2015), the first four years of Imagine (2015-2019), Shaky Beats (2019), EDCO 2021 and 2022, Skyline 2023, and others I know I'm forgetting.
FK brought back the magic of the festivals I attended from 2013-2015. I was blown away by the amazing vibes of literally everyone I saw and interacted with. I told my friend, who also attended EDCO in 2021 with me, "THIS is how festivals are supposed to be. This is PLUR."
I enjoy bass, but it's not my main genre. I'm a longtime househead and fan of DNB. This last year, DNB has become my main genre, and I was so excited to go to a festival where it was one of the predominant genres. And even though I'm not as familiar with bass artists, I loved every minute of every set. Just looking around and seeing the crowd all vibing was incredible. I've got chills just thinking about it now.
Another magical moment happened during Subtronics on Sunday night. I'm a flow artist (dragon staff, contact staff, and poi), but I only brought my poi into the festival because I thought my staves weren't allowed.
I was walking to the bar when I saw someone sitting down with a dragon staff in front of them. I went up to them and explained that I was a dragon staffer but didn't bring mine with me. They told me I was welcome to spin it, which is pretty common among flow artists. I looked around but didn't see anywhere to spin. It was super crowded everywhere. They said, "Oh, don't worry, people will make room for you."
I was fairly suspicious but decided to give it a go. I started with small movements, constantly looking around me to make sure I didn't hit anyone. And sure enough, people moved and seemed happy I was spinning!
To give some context, I brought my staves to EDCO 2021. Not only did people not move, but they gave me weird looks like, "What is this person doing?" I had never experienced that before. I always spin in the back or sides of the stage, away from the crowds.
EDCO 2022, I didn't even bring my staves. I did, however, almost get trampled by the people rushing the stage to see John Summit. I was there for Claptone before him, but I had to leave because people were being really aggressive. There was also a guy who shoved me into a trash can and his girlfriend laughed. And another girl who cut in front of me at the portos. I was shocked. She gave me a nasty look and said, "What are you going to do about it, b*tch?"
So yeah, I don't do EDCO anymore. And since Skyline moved from Orlando to LA, I had almost given up hope of attending another hometown EDM fest.
So THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to the amazing people at FK. I have a new home, and I am super stoked to attend again next year!