The Second Annual Wynwood Fear Factory began with a rough start. Doors were slated to open at 3 PM; however, all of South Florida was under a tropical storm watch from Philippe who was brewing just outside of Cuba. DiskoLab made the conscientious decision to postpone the opening until they received word of an “all clear.”
You could imagine how many people were a little ticked off from this. A festival goer commented on Facebook: “Rain or shine right?” By 6 PM Saturday the rain had stopped and the “all clear” was given and the gates officially opened with Andrew Rayel taking the stage. Although the normally sunny Miami wasn’t so sunny, every person that entered those gates smiled hugely as soon as they heard the music.
The Rain
Almost every attendee dressed up as their favorite cartoon character or something sexy with animal ears. Although one thing that everyone had in common was a rain poncho. Now, Miami is known for its wild weather (especially during outdoor music events) but the rain did not seem to be letting up.
It seemed like the harder the beats were, the harder the rain fell. By 7 PM most of the dancefloor was covered in about an inch of water but we didn’t care. We danced through the rain.
The Show Must Go On
Rain, rain go away!! Come again another day – that isn’t the Wynwood Fear Factory! The tropical storm winds and rain caused the whole first-day lineup to change drastically.
Oliver Heldens and Fedde Le Grand who were supposed to play Saturday were unable to make it to Miami due to travel issues. They released a statement at 7:16 PM that they would not be able to perform that night and they edited the rest of the lineup because of that. Many attendees were confused due to not knowing who was playing next because the announcement was so last minute. Porter Robinson, slated to close the stage from 11PM-12AM, was bumped up to 8:35 PM followed by the new closer of the night, Cedric Gervais from 9:45 PM-11 PM (ending the evening an hour earlier than planned).
The Sun Will Shine Again
Upset festival-goers took to social media to vent their frustration with the promoters and Mother Nature. Those who stuck the weather out made the most of the event that first day. DiskoLab allowed everyone who purchased a Saturday pass to re-enter Sunday at no charge. As of now those who purchased a 2-day pass will not get any compensation for the rainy first day. The event organizers announced that same evening that Oliver Heldens and Fedde Le Grand would do a make-up b2b back set day 2.
The second day of Wynwood Fear Factory was a new start for the organizers to make new moments. The weather was sunny, breezy and perfect for an outdoor music festival. The doors opened an hour earlier at 2 PM to make up for the previous day and the addition of the new special b2b set.
The stage grew overnight with the addition of 2 side LED panels (that were covered up due to the rain), they added new art installations, go-go dancers, new food trucks, more haunted houses and live graffiti artists. It felt like a completely new festival.
Everyone that attended that second day had an amazing time and was extremely happy about staying dry. The eclectic lineup for Sunday took the crowd on a journey from bass to techno to hardstyle and everything in between. A fan favorite was Big Gigantic bringing their electronic funk sound to the Old RC Cola plant. DJ Snake closed out the festival bringing the heat back to Miami on a chilly night.
You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can’t predict the weather.
DiskoLab worked with the cards they were dealt and tried their hardest at making everyone happy. Those who attended both days of the Factory would agree day 2 was more successful.
Those who adapt quickly and don’t mind getting wet had an equally amazing time on both nights. That serves as a great life lesson: if you can’t control the weather, learn to dance in the rain.
Written by Kiry Touch