I can’t really think of a better way to end one year and begin the next than at a massive music festival. Being surrounded by the best music and vibes helps me reflect on the past year while setting my sights on the future, all at the same time. It was for these reasons that I chose to spend a couple of my last days of 2018 at Lights All Night, a festival I’d been wanting to make it out to for a few years now.

Photo Courtesy of Lights All Night

Lights All Night took place at Dallas Market Hall in downtown Dallas, Texas. It was both the evenings of Friday, December 28th and Saturday, December 29th, 2018.

One of the things that initially attracted me to this festival was the lineup. This event featured HUGE headliners like Kaskade, Excision, Tiesto, Rezz, Diplo, and Gucci Mane. However, what equally attracted me to this festival were the not-as-mainstream artists that I hadn’t seen quite as many times, like Charlesthefirst, Luca Lush, 1788-L, Mr. Carmack, Lick, and What So Not.

When my group finally arrived to the festival Friday evening, I was blown away. Between the art installations, the five stages, the food truck strip, and all the incredible energy in between it all, this festival blew my mind! There was so much to do and so many areas to explore, both indoors and outdoors.

Photo Courtesy of Lights All Night

The Supernova Stage was the massive, main stage that we saw when we first walked inside, and the Intergalactic Stage was another huge indoor stage in a room directly next to it. The Supernova Stage hosted the biggest acts of the festival. Some of the artists we saw here were Diplo, Kaskade, and Excision. The Intergalactic Stage was where we saw some of our other favorite sets like Jai Wolf and Mr. Carmack. The Galaxy Disco was pretty incredible as well. It was a silent disco wedged in its own little space at the back of the Intergalactic Stage. Here we went to see Lick, which was hands down one of the best sets we saw all weekend. The Space Station and Planet Prime were the two outdoor stages. The Space Station was tiny and had a lot of the local artists, and though it usually didn’t have as large of a crowd as any of the other stages, the energy level was always through the roof regardless of the number of people there.

Photo Courtesy of Lights All Night

The Planet Prime Stage was definitely my favorite. Though it was outside and the weekend of the festival was far from comfortable in terms of warmth. Fortunately, my group knew ahead of time that this would be the case, so we came prepared by bringing extra layers of clothes. We spent most of the first day out here, and between PhaseOne and Charles the first, I think it’s safe to say our favorite sets of the weekend took place at Planet Prime. The stage was incredibly unique. It was small and intimate, with these huge light fixtures that looked like Rubik’s cubes and lit up different colors scattered all around.

Photo Courtesy of Lights All Night

Lights All Night was one of those festivals that will always stand out for me. The people, music, and memories I made here were totally different than what I expected. I really felt that Southern hospitality from all the amazing Texas rave fam that I met, and already can’t wait to come back for the next event. To those who have never checked out Lights All Night, I strongly encourage it! It’s an amazing experience unlike any other, and I’m so glad I chose it as my destination for some of my last (and best) memories of the year!