Trillectro Festival 2012

WASHINGTON, DC - August 11th, 2012 - Tabi Bonney looks over the crowd as he performs at the inaugural Trillectro Festival at the Half Street Fairgrounds in Washington, D.C. The festival was a combination of hip-hop and dance acts, bringing together fans of both genres. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post) (Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

Last weekend was a big one in D.C. The first ever Trillectro (Trill + Electro) Fest went down at the Half Street Fairgrounds in Southeast and although it had its share of problems, it was a lot of fun. The artists booked to play Trillectro was a very interesting experiment, a festival inside DC city limits consisting of  a combination hip-hop and electronic dance music (EDM). And it worked beautifully line-up wise. Other issues arose, however.

WASHINGTON, DC - August 11th, 2012 - Crowd members dance during a performance by David Heartbreak at the Trillectro Festival at the Half Street Fairgrounds in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post) (Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON, DC - August 11th, 2012 - The crowd swells despite the rain as Schoolboy Q performs at the inaugural Trillectro Festival at the Half Street Fairgrounds in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post) (Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

Before I get to those, let me say that pulling this festival off was no small feat and I have nothing but respect to the organizers. I look forward to next year. That said, here are a few improvements I would suggest:

  1. Have separate press badges for writers and photographers. There were way too many non-photographers in the photo pit clogging everything up. If you only have an iPhone, you do not belong in the photo pit. It seemed like every blog from NC to NYC was credentialed, so the photo pit was a total mess all day. No one was checking credentials and no one was in charge.
  2. Next year, get actual barricades. The flimsy metal fencing they used this year was totally useless. Non-credentialed crowd members regularly made their way into the pit and totally overran the photo pit during Schoolboy Q’s set. Again, no one was there to do anything.
  3. Food! There were three food trucks for the 2,500 -5,000 people (depending on whose crowd estimates you believe). If you’re not going to let people leave and come back in, you have to provide them with food. The lines for what little food there was were incredibly long because there were no other options. This was a big fail.
  4. Get more bathrooms next year. Obvs.
  5. Stagger the sets better. Flosstradamus, the headliner, went on after the noise curfew so they basically had to play at half volume. There were plenty of breaks during the day where despite there being two stages, no music was being played. Tighten up the schedule and end the event by 10. That’s what after parties are for.

 

WASHINGTON, DC - August 11th, 2012 - Underground hip-hop sensation Schoolboy Q performs at the inaugural Trillectro Festival at the Half Street Fairgrounds in Washington, D.C. His main stage set drew the day's largest crowd despite a light rain towards the end of his set. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post) (Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON, DC - August 11th, 2012 - Tabi Bonney (right) performs backed by Beat Ya Feet Kingz at the inaugural Trillectro Festival at the Half Street Fairgrounds in Washington, D.C. The festival was a combination of hip-hop and dance acts, bringing together fans of both genres. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post) (Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

Despite those issues, the event was a lot of fun. It rained but no one cared. Both stages had great artists, and plenty of talent was representing D.C. The crowd was AMAZING, everyone was just there to hangand have fun. Drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, were cheap and plentiful. There was a great view from the V.I.P. section. It was a great vibe and a great day. I was beat at the end of the day but it was definitely worth it.

WASHINGTON, DC - August 11th, 2012 - David Heartbreak dj's at the inaugural Trillectro Festival at the Half Street Fairgrounds in Washington, D.C. The festival was a combination of hip-hop and dance acts, bringing together fans of both genres. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post) (Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON, DC - August 11th, 2012 - Noted local DJ Jesse Tittsworth drew one of the day's largest crowds at the inaugural Trillectro Festival at the Half Street Fairgrounds in Washington, D.C. The festival was a combination of hip-hop and dance acts, bringing together fans of both genres. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post) (Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

My favorite acts were Tabi Bonney (he OWNS the 25 minute mid-day set at this point), Tittsworth and David Heartbreak. Oh, and Doug E. Fresh!

WASHINGTON, DC - August 11th, 2012 -Hip-hop legend Doug E. Fresh performs at the inaugural Trillectro Festival at the Half Street Fairgrounds in Washington, D.C. Fresh's set included a performance of "La-Di Da-Di" and an explantation of the popular dance "The Dougie," which is named after him. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post) (Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON, DC - August 11th, 2012 - Underground hip-hop sensation Schoolboy Q performs at the inaugural Trillectro Festival at the Half Street Fairgrounds in Washington, D.C. The festival was a combination of hip-hop and dance acts, bringing together fans of both genres. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post) (Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON, DC - August 11th, 2012 - Rapper/producer Oddissee performs at the inaugural Trillectro Festival at the Half Street Fairgrounds in Washington, D.C. Before his performance, Oddissee gave a shout out to his grandmother, who lives right around the corner. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post) (Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)

Full photo set below. Click on any image to purchase prints.
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2012 Trillectro Festival – Images by Kyle Gustafson

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 14th, 2012 at 7:27 pm and is filed under Concerts, featured, Festivals and tagged with , , , , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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