Life In Color Miami Presents a Successful Union of Music and Art
Amidst the bustling streets of Miami, the Wynwood Arts District neighborhood decided to host its own getaway on January 28 for those trying to escape everyday life at the one-day celebration Life In Color Miami. Coming back for its tenth year in the Magic City, they delivered a festival that found the perfect home to make a truly Miami party scene come to life, festival-style.
Taking a detour from their original home in Miami Gardens’ Dolphins Stadium, Life In Color organizers put together a much needed move to personify everything their festival is all about. The festival, which has always been a happy place between art and music, found the best place to fit a music festival like this: right in the middle of a thriving arts district. Nestled in the streets of Wynwood, organizers made a layout for the festival that perfectly nestles together two veteran music venues and let attendees hit the streets.
No matter where you decided to let loose at this festival, the organization let every attendee feel right at home in this celebration. The festival organized itself around the character of Miami, a city where the party never stops. Once you made your way to Wynwood, it was very clear how to enter the festival grounds, with the support of City of Miami police and a thriving mass of over 20,000 music lovers heading in one direction.
The ticketing area was located just steps from the entrance at Wynwood’s staple nightlife destination SHOTS Miami. Whether you decided to pre-game at SHOTS or were too excited to miss another second of it, entering the festival was quick and efficient, letting you enjoy the party to the fullest. The entrance was a spill-over straight into the streets of Wynwood with colored lighting, tents from local businesses, artists working on murals, and an area to collect yourself before going to one of the various stages.
Take a left from the entrance, and you found yourself in the multi-use venue of Mana Wynwood and the complexities of two heart-pounding stages: Sector X and LOUD Room. Both curated some of electronic music’s heaviest bass and colorful party. Imagine an open-air festival stage where in the distance you can see Miami’s beautiful skyline but you are tucked into this magical getaway to dance the day away. Sector X, the Main Stage, was also a great way to say thank you to Miami and all it has contributed to music and this festival. The day started out with local acts that are known around the world for their pure adrenaline-pumping stylings, with opening performers such as Nitti Gritti, Bonnie X Clyde, and Solano, all of whom opened the festival and took over the stage with full force. Then, it happened, photographers and shot-tenders running out of the way, as the infamous paint blast countdown started to sound. Alarms going off and warning images made it clear what was about to happen: the largest amount of paint flying in the air you’ve ever seen in your life. Dozens of paint cannons and fans with paint bottles of their own painted the sky and their clothes with an array of color that made it irresistible to join in the fun. As the day went on, multiple moments like this occurred to ensure nobody left that night without being drenched.
Just a few feet away, in what appeared to be a warehouse unit, was a room where you could take a break from loud and heavy sounds with even something even heavier. The LOUD Room invited some upcoming and local acts to add another escape for attendees. This stage hosted extremely talented artists that are on the rise such as Audigy, which we will most likely see take the main stage in the near future. The charm of this stage was the intimacy you felt, similar to a classic rave warehouse party. The artists developed a closer relationship with the crowd, with some acts bringing fans on stage or getting in the crowd themselves. Plus, this was also the perfect excuse to get creative and paint on the stage’s interior walls.
Towards the end of the night, the acts were even more internationally prominent, and whether you took to the crowd or watched from the VIP, the show never lost a second of energy. As sunset took its place, the rap performance from 070 Shake and appearance from YesJulz gave the crowd so much energy and excitement during what may have been the best stage presentation of the festival. 070 Shake, although still an upcoming act, took over the stage and the hearts of attendees very quickly and had our attention for what could’ve been a much longer set. However, the schedule was always on time, and the show had to keep going. As the festival kept on, the acts got bigger and the crowds got more colorful, with hard-hitting sets from Mija, Illenium, Seven Lions, and Marshmello. Fans also had the opportunity to see Diplo headline the festival for the first time since 2012. Coming back from his collaborations with Jack Ü and Major Lazer and producing for some of music’s biggest names, it was the perfect way to close this stage down.
Just off in the distance, on the other side over at the RC Cola Factory, a circus came to town for one day only. The Rare Stage was inside what looked like a gigantic circus tent, and inside were huge LED Screens and a monstrous stage. The Rare Stage has a history with LIC for being curated by DJ/Producer Carnage for an array of acts that embraced grimy sounds such as dubstep and trap. Notable performances came from Capone, Codeko, and dubstep-legend Doctor P on his debut performance for Life In Color. The night never missed a beat with performances from Ookay, Tritonal, Desiigner, and Carnage. Ookay’s adrenaline-rushing set had fans stage-diving, couples climbing rafters to kiss in front of thousands, and paint flinging for a personal favorite performance and the most exhilarating set of the festival. The largest crowd of the day possibly could’ve been later that night during Desiigner’s performance. Hundreds ran into the tent just in time with every phone out to catch a glimpse of G.O.O.D. Music’s freshman superstar. This was the longest rap set of the night and had people satisfied seeing this act live, closing out with 2016’s biggest track, “Panda.”
Whether you wanted to spend the last hour of the festival with Diplo or Carnage, it was impossible to have a bad time. Every moment of the festival was well organized and took care of the needs of everyone. The music was great; the facilities were clean, with food options and a communal area to hang out to make sure you never lost the energy. The performances from every side of this block-party had the crowds dancing for the entire day. Whether you still had some energy in you or were ready for a shower and some sleep, the festival took care of everyone. Considering the festival streets were blocked-off, traffic was not affected and let people leave in an efficient manner. It was also just moments away from the Life In Color official after-party at Club Space for those willing to make Sunday a full-recovery day. Life In Color Miami made the right decisions this time around to make for an upgrade of what was already a fantastic day for festival lovers. With the realization of such a successful event in 2017 at its new home in Miami’s Wynwood Arts District, there is plenty to look forward to about Life In Color for years to come.