Every New Year's Eve, ravers are faced with a tough decision: where is the best place to be when the ball drops?! While many choose to attend an event or festival in their area, last New Year's I had the opportunity to attend Decadence Arizona for NYE 2018 with my sister. I was so happy to keep the tradition of spending every new year for the last 6 years with her! We were even able to be side stage for Above and Beyond. It was special because that's “our DJ”. so that moment singing and dancing meant a lot to us. 

I think one thing that makes Arizona festivals unique is that Arizona is a large, diverse college town. I lived there for about 4 years for school and everyone attending is from all over the world which creates a pretty unique rave culture. Needless to say, I was excited to return back to my old stomping grounds to ring in 2019. 

Here are 4 reasons why I would recommend putting Decadence on your radar for this year’s New Year’s Eve Events:

The Location

The location at the Rawhide Events Center in Chandler, Arizona was much bigger and spread out than previous years I’ve attended. This was a genius way to spread out the crowds of people. There were added rides and carnival games that made the experience a lot more enjoyable. Because Decadence AZ is outdoors, one tip I would give to a first-timer is to check the weather! There is nothing worse than being unprepared for the cold and not having enough layers to stay warm or the correct kind of shoes to keep your feet dry. New Years festivals are always cold. Be prepared and think ahead, always!

The Vibes

It being New Years weekend I think created an excitement in the air that was incredibly contagious. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to be there. There were tons of nice gestures and compliments being thrown around left and right from groups which I thought was super PLUR.   

The Lineup

The lineup was AMAZING! Definitely, the main reason why I chose Decadence over any other New Year's Event. Which is odd for me because I usually go for the vibes and experience rather than chasing a lineup. Relentless Beats always has the hottest and most stacked lineups I’ve seen to date.  Above and Beyond and Anti-Up were my absolute favorites of the weekend. Chris Lake & Chris Lorezno created this duo and it is seriously the perfect combination of house and techno. I could not stop dancing the entire time every minute just kept getting better and better. 

The Food

The food was super good! I had some garlic cheese fries from a food truck and was incredibly surprised. Festival food is always a hit or miss but these fries were a HIT! I loved them so much I  had them two days in a row, haha!

To say that I had an unforgettable time at Decadence AZ would be an understatement - I even got a special surprise from my boyfriend that he told me was attending the 2nd day of the festival so that we can spend our first New Year's together! I highly recommend checking this event out next New Year's Eve.

Be sure to check out the official after movie!