After the chaotic Christmas celebrations and Boxing Day sales, the real highlight of the winter break was the annual Solaris Winter Music Festival. On December 26th and 27th, Solaris went off with a bang at the brand new multi-million dollar complex, REBEL, instead of its previous location at the Enercare Centre, leaving previous Solaris veterans with mixed feelings on the change of location. While seemingly more packed, the venue did not disappoint with ample room to explore and a picture-perfect view of the Toronto skyline.
Solaris’ main stage lineup was stacked with the hottest names in trap and bass, featuring Marshmello, Jauz and Borgore to keep the heads thrashing and arms flying. Marshmello’s return to Toronto was greatly anticipated after his debut at Mad Decent Block Party last August, and brought the crowd together with his hit tracks “Alone” and “Keep It Mello”. People of all ages were drawn to the main stage for Mello’s set, bobbing in sync to his tracks and hip-hop bangers. Just when you thought everyone was calming down for a bit, Mello dropped the infamous 2016 tune, “Broccoli”, getting the whole crowd riled up again (and the security a little unimpressed with how crazy Toronto could get).
If you haven’t been to REBEL yet, you are in for a treat. With over 45,000 square feet made up of multiple rooms, bars and a balcony overlooking the mainstage, REBEL has created an experience that cannot be matched elsewhere in Toronto. Toronto now boasts a club similar to the Vegas life style, modelled closely to Omnia nightclub, down to the circular ceiling pieces. REBEL offers two separate stages in addition to the main stage, the Noir Room and Purple Room – changing the taste of music to cater towards more of the tech-heads and shufflers in attendance. Malaa and Shiba San closed out the Noir room both nights, giving fans a taste of some dark tunes matched perfectly with the ambience of the room.
Day two of the event was bittersweet; attendees had recovered from the festivities of the first day, but were not ready for the event to finish. Fans were astounded when Jauz took over the stage and played a mix of his top hits, along with treated Toronto with some unreleased tracks. Zedd closed out the main stage and had everyone spirits flying high when he started the set with his top hit, Beautiful Now, completed with full lighting and a visual experience for crowd-goers.
Ink Entertainment successfully pulled off it’s fourth Solaris event, proving to first-timer’s that REBEL is suitable for any music event, and works exceptionally well to accommodate the booming night-life scene in Canada’s largest city. Keep an eye out over the next month as world-recognized acts like A-Trak, Lukas Graham and T.I will be taking over the stage next!
Favorite Moment: shout out to REBEL for the 19+ section, making the two-day event a smooth and memorable experience for everyone. 19+ offered separate washrooms (with wonderful washroom attendants), a separate bar, ample seating space towards the back and my personal favourite: the occasional dancing pole to bring your girls on up and show off some moves.
