Most acts sounded decently good to dance to- some sounded very good and a minority sounded terrible. I assume marijuana would’ve enhanced my musical experience, but I didn’t consume it. My favorite ones were Pendulum, Moksi, Seven Lions, Dada Life. None of the headliners struck me as amazing. For performances in the main stage, we could go very close to the stage. In the late-night performances the visuals became elaborate, ranging from psychedelic videos to light streams. Armin van Buren had good visuals, while Deadmaus’s performance was a major letdown especially with the weather getting colder by the hour and it was hard to tell Deadmau5 was even playing.

The black swan- the weather

Squirrel camp with the comfy mattresses for bad weather

The weather forecast till last day predicted a temperature between 70°F and 85°F, so we were prepared for it to be hot. However as Friday evening came it quickly gave way to fierce winds around 35 km/h (Seattle wind is ~10–15 km/h) which never reduced in intensity. Even with the extra sweater we brought, we felt extremely underdressed and cold. To make matters worse, Saturday which was supposed to be the better day started off with rains and with a brief spell of sunny weather in the afternoon descended into lightning and thunder. This led staff to organize emergency evacuation fearing barren land and totem poles would invite lightning. However it was poorly organized, as with the exception of one loudspeaker announcement, there was no assistance and there was only one exit. There was significant panic, and the communication was poorly conducted. They updated their Twitter page later, and an hour later the event resumed. The weather forecast made sure we didn’t pack heavy, combined with the burden of carrying stuff everywhere and got drenched, cold.

Recommendation

If you have been avoiding going to Paradiso because it’s EDM and you don’t really like that kind of music, I’d say unless you can’t stand that music just go if you live in Seattle area. It happens annually in mid-June. However don’t be deceived by the excellent weather updates and make sure to pack a jacket, and take it into the venue. They’ve lockers, so you won’t need to roam around. You will be definitely amazed by the vibes of the audience, and if you wish you might want to wear a simple costume like me too.