This past weekend, Hard made it’s return to it’s home at the Los Angeles State Historic Park with it’s revival of their Day of the Dead Festival, and it was the perfect way to celebrate the Mexican holiday, Dia de los muertos. With it’s return back to the heart of Los Angeles, Hard perfectly brought to attention how amazing the Los Angeles culture can be.
Taking place just a couple days after Halloween, Hard had a 21+ crowd that was filled with playful costumes and fun vibes all around. Festival goers roamed around happily holding their alcohol and food out in the open, as they were greeted with holiday themed artwork and even a Mariachi band.
After the warm welcome from the beautiful sounds of the Mariachi band, music fans were hovering towards the Duro Stage, which featured deep sets from monumental artists such as Dateless, J. Philip, Shiba San, and many more. The stage was reminiscent of a Dia de los muertos chapel filled with candles, photo frames, and skulls. Along with the festive crowd, the DJ’s showed their festival spirit by dressing up as well. Lubelski dressed up as Ali G and had a funky b2b set with Rybo, while Omnom dressed up in bright red clout glasses. The acoustics sounded nice on this stage and stretched out pretty wide as the open crowd danced freely all around.
Just a short walk over, festival goers found themselves at the main-stage which featured Cashmere Cat, Jack Beats, and headliner Die Antwoord. Ninja and Yolandi of Die Antwoord played an electrifying fun set that stunned the crowd as the South African rap rave duo perfectly blended sounds of hip hop and EDM. This was our first time catching the duo in LA, and we were thoroughly impressed by how much energy they threw into the crowd.
Hard veteran, Knife Party also took to the main stage, playing a monstrous Halloween set. While missing Rob Swire, Gareth McGrillen came out solo, playing hits such as “Boss Mode”, “Begin Again”, and their Swedish House Mafia collaboration, “Antidote.” Unfortunately, his set got cut off short as he was about to play “Internet Friends”, which was a little disappointing but nevertheless still a fun set.
To end the night, headliners Justice closed the main stage with a beautiful final performance of their Woman Worldwide tour show. Spanning for almost two years, the live show came to an end this past weekend at Hard and what a way to end it. The live performance was packed with intricate and strobing stage lights, numerous Marshall speakers, and loud analog synthesizers that had the whole festival crowd groovin’. The tour set featured perfect mash-ups of their most famous sounds with their new tracks. It was a very nostalgic and fun-filled set.
Overall, the whole event was a perfect come back to it’s home in the heart of the city. With a beautiful backdrop of the skyline, the Los Angeles State Historic Park is the perfect venue for Hard events. The one day festival brought us back to the good old Hard days and was packed with an impressive line-up and amazing vibes that were reminiscent of the very first Hard festivals. The 21+ crowd was open, free, and loving to those around. The sound was impressive and loud for all to hear and dance to. We were thoroughly impressed with the return of Hard Day of the Dead and we hope that Hard hosts more events at the Los Angeles Historic Park in the near future!
All Photo Credit: Willy Song
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