The Queen Mary’s Waterfront Park, sowed hospitality while hosting zombies!
The proposed site of a new permanent addition to Southern California’s venue line up, the Long Beach Waterfront Park is nothing short of luminary. Stages light the sky while the Long Beach skyline serves as a majestic backdrop to the park and moorage. For the festival, there were different distinct stages, beverage bars, food vendors, merchandise tents, and various other festival staples. Everything that our region has grown to expect from a large scale music festival. No amenity, or expense, was spared in bringing the experience to life. Every detail thought through, the venue was handicap accessible through the cunning use of aluminum, temporary tarmac, material. No mud, grass, or uneven terrain. The entire venue was comfortably navigated.
The genre is Electronic Dance Music (EDM), but more specifically the style has roots in bass and drums. Bassrush is one of Insomniac’s oldest style focused brands, and Zombie Apocalypse is a Bassrush event. The brand began in 2002, and has evolved to encompass multiple EDM sub-genres. Aside from the origins in strictly bass and drums, Bassrush now embraces all flavors of bass, dubstep, and trap. If you know, you know, and if you don’t your kids likely do. Take a look at this headliner’s video. This is Illenium, and they are far more mainstream than a lot of folks realize. If you have never attended a festival like this, perhaps this upcoming season will find you exploring!
The weather was perfect for an early winter festival, especially at the beach. Narrowly missing a forecast of rain, the temperature was mild, and the onshore breeze was subdued. Two days of beautiful Southern California outdoor life. Music echoing up nd down the coastline, the surf blending ino the atmosphere. The smell of the ocean, food trucks, and cotton candy filled the air. Visual attention was split between pyrotechnics, stage lighting, and a carnival atmosphere of displays and performers. Although the permanent venue is projected to hold around a 12,000 person capacity, this festival was estimated at around 30,000 per day. That being said, the venue did not feel crowded. Minor bottle necks between stages, but overall there was plenty of breathing room. And the costumes, of course the fits. As with all festivals of this nature, the attendees become a major part of the attraction.
For those who knew that they would not be ready to call it quits at 1am, the afterparties were held onboard the stateful Queen Mary. A ship that is also a hotel. For those who planned even further ahead, the lodging and entertainment available in the city of Long Beach was a short trip over the bridge away. Sunday could have been a trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific. The dinning options are incredible, and not enough good things cane be said about Long Beach. If you have the desire to build a core memory over a weekend, these are the memories to build. The great news is that it’s only getting started.
The Water Front Park in Long Beach is poised to be a foundational hub for entertainment. The possibilities are limitless. So many memories will be formed in this piece of the rich tapestry that is Southern California’s event culture.
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