Today, HARD Summer, LA's largest electronic dance music festival, will announce its new venue for the seventh annual installment of their two-day event. Taking place Saturday through Sunday August 2nd and 3rd, this year's bacchanal promises to be “harder, groovier, hotter, wilder, bolder, and bigger” as it makes it's way to the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area in South El Monte.
HARD's usual home at the Los Angeles State Historic Park is being closed as part of an $18 million dollar effort to renovate the 32-acre facility which hosts several concerts and festivals throughout the summer. This year approximately 20 minutes and 13 miles East of the usual Chinatown location, will be flooded by thousands (70,000 were in attendance last year) of EDM lovers ready to dance the weekend away as HARD takes over with five stages and 75 performers. “It's such a great park with more room to do things that have not been possible for HARD in the past,” says HARD CEO Gary Richards in a press release.
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The park features several lakes, wildlife, and trees similar to the San Manuel Amphitheater where Insomniac hosted it's Wonderland festivals in 2013. The venue is away from homes, right off the 60 freeway, and most likely nowhere near the vicinity of a decent hotel (we did find a Double Tree less than two miles away for $100 per night). But who cares about raving in high class these days anyways right? Though we will miss that beautiful LA skyline, we hope the bigger venue will mean they can turn up the sound system and add to the production.
Coincidentally Insomniac's CEO, Pasquale Rotella posted via his Facebook page around 12 a.m. that San Manuel though, “it's a beautiful location, it's clear that it can not handle our larger Insomniac festivals right now.” He announced they will be having smaller all-camp out events specifically tailored for San Manuel, which will help with the traffic and logistic issues. As of now Beyond, Nocturnal, and Escape from Wonderland are currently looking for a new home in Southern California. However, he did announce that Insomniac will be launching a Beyond and Nocturnal Wonderland in Las Vegas (at a different location from EDC's Las Vegas Motor Speedway) in addition “not in place of” anything that happens in SoCal. Pasquale also mentioned “an exciting announcement about our brother festival, HARD Summer today,” so stay tuned.
Ticketmaster posted the event last night with the location, dates, and pricing. GA is $141.20 with taxes and fees, VIP comes out to $306 and parking is $22. Citi card members can purchase their tickets today, yet they go on sale to the general public this Friday, February 28th at 10 a.m.
See Also:
Top Five Acts We Saw at HARD Summer
Gary Richards Was an EDM Hustler Long Before He Started HARD
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