It was an extremely busy long weekend, with people coming into town from all over. We had Caribana weekend, OVO Fest, One Direction, Electric Island, VELD Music Festival and so much more. While all these events may attract different crowds, some of us might have a hard time deciding which event to go to. That’s where Love This City comes in, providing you with coverage of Toronto’s hottest events. You can read our reviews on day one and two of VELD, where you’ll find reviews on some DJs that played. But what was VELD really like, aside from the artists and the music? These are the topics that rarely get discussed, but it’s also a great heads up for those who didn’t attend the festival, but plan to in the future.
IN-N-OUT
No, I’m not referring to the famous Burger joint from the States. I’m talking about getting in and out of the festival. Public transit may seem like a smart idea but all the buses running to Downsview Park were packed, even though people were attending the festival at different times of the day. Buses were often stuck due to the high amount of people crossing, but we know and appreciate that the police and security did their best at directing traffic. Paid parking was available in and around the park for those who drove. Getting out at the end of the night took forever! Certain lucky SUV owners were daring and bypassed the line to leave by driving over the sidewalk and curb to get on the road! Unfortunately, there really is no way around getting in and out, but this is an issue with most major events and it can’t be helped. In terms of the actual festival, there was almost always a huge line to get in for GA. VIP wristband holders had a separate, somewhat smaller line, and lucky for those with a media pass who could just stroll right in!
FOOD AND BEVERAGES
There was a range of food to choose from, with independent vendors and bigger companies. You could find everything from Harvey’s to Smoke’s Poutinerie, or your typical pizza, burger, and hot dogs. The watermelons were the best because they’re so refreshing. It’s great that they had so much variety because that meant shorter lines at each vendor, plus you get to choose something you like! Everyone was quick and courteous at the water stations and it never took too long to get a refill. Bacardi is a huge sponsor of the festival, so of course they had that. There was also no shortage of beer, vodka, or Redbull. The only thing I had an issue with was that everyone was required to line up for a wristband in order to purchase an alcoholic drink, despite the fact that VIP wristband holders must be 19+ anyway. After obtaining your wristband, you had to go into another line to buy a drink ticket, and finally, line up for your drink. Fortunately, there were lots of beverage tents and lots of people working so the line up went by pretty quick.
RECEPTION
This one is a hit-and-miss. It’s a mission to get reception when there are a million people around you. Texting and calling is next to impossible, making it hard to find your friends when you’re at the festival. The upside to this is that you’re not going to be on your phone the entire time you’re there; you’ll be enjoying the music like you should. However, there were a lot of people in the crowd sending Snapchats all night. I don’t know how they managed to get service, but lucky for them!
MERCH
The official VELD merchandise included t-shirts, tanks, sweaters, and hats – the usual. The glasses were my favourite. They’re not your typical sunglasses or prescription lenses; they enhance the entire VELD experience. They are made with diffraction lenses, which bends light in a certain way when it encounters the lens. The lights on and around the stage are already wondrous without this accessory, but with it, the feeling is inexplicable. You’re pretty much staring at a giant kaleidoscope. Vendors also had booths set up selling portable chargers, flower crowns, kandi bracelets, and other products of the sort.
It’s vital for a large festival like this to take place over two days. There’s so much to take in that one day just isn’t enough. Plus, there are way too many talented artists to squeeze into one day. It’s great that these festivals are scheduled on long weekends so we have an extra day to recover from the madness! All in all, VELD Music Festival was phenomenal and we’re looking forward to VELD 2015.
Stick around for more VELD-related articles and look out for our exclusive interviews with Bingo Players, OVERWERK, Dannic, and more!
