North coast 2024
North Coast RETURNS TO CHICAGO FOR AN ELECTRIC THREE-DAY CELEBRATION OF MUSIC AND COMMUNITY
Content & Article by: Yoselin Moreno @yoselinontour
North Coast returned to Chicago this past Labor Day Weekend for an electric three-day celebration of music, art, and community. Returning for its 14th year, North Coast contained the highest attendance numbers in the history of the festival, with 90k guests across all three days. This year, the Electronic/Dance festival showcased a stellar lineup, many B2B’s and surprise guests at its vibrant and breathtaking festival grounds.
HEADLINERS
This year’s North Coast lineup boasted some of the biggest names in EDM including headliners, Subtronics, Illenium, ISOKNOCK (ISOxo B2B Knock2) and Two Friends. Over the 3 days, the headliners delivered unforgettable performances.
DJ/Producer Subtronics took the main stage Friday night and delivered a both audibly and visually mesmerizing set filled with intense beat drops. On Saturday, Illenium took the main stage for a set full of EDM anthems complete with pyrotechnics, CO2 cannons, and lasers.
ISOKNOCK made an unforgettable North Coast debut as they performed on a shipping container suspended well over 50 ft. in the air. The duo, composed of ISOxo and Knock2, delivered a jaw-dropping performance consisting of their intense stage presence and hard hitting drops. Finally, DJ/producer duo Two Friends closed out the festival with high energy performance.
Notable Sets
While the headliners delivered unforgettable sets, we HAVE to talk about the other sets that left me wanting for more.
Chicago natives and DJ trio Levity stunned a packed out Shipyard Stage set as a part of the Brownies & Lemonade stage takeover followed by phenomenal Drum and Bass acts Hedex and Chase and Status. Mexican-American DJ/producer Deorro delivered a high-energy show with a Latin twist, while bass heavy DJ’s, DJ Diesel, LSZEE (LSDream b2b CloZee), Sullivan King and Seven Lions brought the energy with thrilling performances.
While bass acts dominate the North Coast lineup, I was excited to see a variety of house acts including AC Slater, Acraze, Shipwreck, Sidepiece, and Tchami x Malaa: The Return of No Redemption. Day and night, these house sets brought contagious beats that had crowds moving from beginning to end.
Production and Layout
Let’s talk about the details! North Coast takes place just outside of Chicago at SeatGeek stadium in Bridgeview, IL. The festival grounds include the massive stadium and its surrounding lots located on the exterior.
The 3-day festival comprises several stages: The Stadium, The Shipyard, The Vega, The Firepit, The Chill Dome, Silent Disco, and Clubcoast. Each stage was unique in its design and were perfectly placed making them a short walk away from one another while still preventing sound bleed. Each stage was visually mesmerizing especially when combined with pyrotechnics, lasers, and vibrant visual effects.
The Stadium Stage, located inside SeatGeek Stadium, serves as the main stage and offers elevated seating. It saw an array of guests come out during headliner sets throughout the weekend, including Sullivan King during DJ Diesel, Dabin during Illenium, and Level Up joining her husband Subtronics during his electrifying Friday night performance.
North Coast also hosted vibrant art installations throughout the festival that attendees could not only visit but also interact with and use as the perfect photo-op.There were also various spaces for you to sit down and relax with your friends in between sets.
My favorite part of the North Coast was seeing it at night. When the sun went down, the festival grounds lit up in an array of colors transforming the festival into a music filled sea of bright lights.
Vendors & Activations
Getting to explore the vendors and activations at a music festival has to be one of my favorite parts. North Coast was home to many vendors over the weekend and located throughout the festival making it a short walk from a stage. They had all the festival essentials including scarfs, sunglasses, fans, clothing to name a few. I was also excited to see various local vendors including EVOL Chicago and Relish and the unique products they had to offer.
Festival goers enjoyed various food and drink options throughout the 3 days. Food options included Mexican, Asian, and Southern dishes ensuring there was something you would like. Beverage vendors included Beatbox, Corona and Redbull, with designated areas for attendees to relax and refresh.
SHOOTER’S NOTES
Yoselin
“While this was my first ever North Coast, it certainly won’t be my last. I truly enjoyed my Labor Day weekend surrounded by the nicest people and most talented, jaw dropping sets.Overall, it is such a fun and vibrant music festival that any electronic/dance music lover won’t want to miss.”
