The Northeast has been caught in a weird and wet weather pattern recently. Despite the storms and chance of rain, thousands of guests descended upon Hunts Point in The Bronx for The Elements NYC Festival. Gates opened at two, but people were already lined up when I arrived around 1:45. Waiting in line, people chatted with those around them, asking who everyone was excited to see, and where to go first. Right before gates opened, the first bout of rain came through, but immediately people whipped out their ponchos, and umbrellas; we were prepared for the day ahead of us. Once through the gates and you entered the festival grounds, the numerous food and art vendors greeted you as a make shift main street. No matter what food you were craving, or piece of art you were seeking, there was a vendor to satisfy your needs.
"Pineapple Paint Art Booth"
The Air Stage introduced the music, being situated just yards away from the entrance with the Water Stage located in an adjacent warehouse. Behind the Water Stage, the Fire Stage was beginning to spark and provide warmth on what was a cloudy rainy day. Thus, due to the less than favorable weather, the Earth Stage was closed off for a majority of the day. However, as you continued your adventure throughout the festival, you discover the Vortex Labs, a collection of art exhibits located in abandoned silos. Winding and weaving your way through the art labyrinth, each element provided a new way to invoke the senses.
"Vortex Labs"
The relentless rains held strong for most of the day, keeping a majority of the patrons inside. But that didn’t stop anyone from enjoying themselves. Hopping from stage to stage, it was easy to get lost in the numerous little nooks and crannies of the festival grounds; time began to seem like a distant concept, until 7pm. At this time, the Bassnectar team began to give out clues to the location of tickets for his Brooklyn throwdown. Each clue prompted eager bassheads to scour across the festival in search of an elusive ticket. It was around this time that the Earth Stage finally opened, cueing people to dash over to it. Although the only acts to perform on the Earth Stage were Subtronics, Emancipator and Bassnectar, they definitely made up for the lost time. Continuing into the night, the Water Stage became flooded with guests as Jade Cicada took the stage with visuals supplied by Datagram. All eyes were fixed on the auditory and visual spell being cast.
"Water Stage Warehouse"
Although the weather proved to be a difficult adversary, literally raining on everyone’s parade, patrons of the festival persisted on having a good time; going as far as getting down and dirty in the mud after the Earth stage finally opened. Despite its short comings, Elements NYC was an absolute blast, and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for next year. With all that said, I want to take a moment to thank Plexi PR for giving me the opportunity to cover this event and to thank all the staff, artists, and vendors for helping make this all possible. I also want to give a shout out to Sackman_Jones for helping me cover this event and supplying pictures. Below is a link to "The Loony Bin" episode where we talk in depth about our Elements NYC experience.