Written By Adam Plantenberg
After a pretty stunning debut in 2023, Cascade Equinox, presented by 4 Peaks Presents and the organizers of Gem & Jam, returned to Redmond this September for its second edition with big shoes to fill.
After spending 3 days dancing, laughing, and visiting with strangers I’m happy to report that Cascade Equinox brought the vibes again this year.
Part of me will always wish for that first intimate year, but for a growing festival, it still didn’t lose much of that intimate magic.
New for 2024:
- Solar Spin: The standout addition for 2024’s festival for me was the roller rink, Solar Spin. Hosted in one of the Deschutes Country Fairgrounds buildings, Solar Spin allowed festival attendees to lace up their skates and roll around the rink to live music. If you didn’t bring your own skates, they offered skate rentals on a first come first serve basis. The entire building was decked out to make it super vibey and retro inspired, including a vintage skate shop, sticker bar, funky vending machines, and more.
- Food Vendor Stage: A small but welcome addition this year was the placement of an outdoor stage in the food vending area, allowing you to take in some additional live music while taking a dance break and getting some grub. It was always welcome to still be engrossed in the festival vibes while taking a food break, with multiple attendees dancing and vibing at the stage.
- Northwest Collectives: Many of the stages hosted different takeovers from Northwest Collectives throughout the weekend, including a takeover to honor the recently closed North Warehouse in Portland (RIP) and one showcasing Tabor Dance from Portland. This was really cool to see curated lineups based on local collectives that brought more awareness to them.
- Pop-up Stages: Lastly, my favorite additions for 2024 were the pop-up stages. (Maybe this wasn’t new for this year, but I spent a lot of time here this year, partly because of the artist timings, but we will get into that later). When the night got late, these stages really popped off, with good music and really good people & dancing. Taking a quick look at the Facebook page, I’m not alone in my enjoyment of these either.
The Music:
Wow. Cascade Equinox 2024 freaking brought it in the music department. There was just about something for anyone this year with a genre-crossing lineup of electronic, jam, funk, soul, and bluegrass.
Each night the headliners truly shined, starting with Clozee on Friday, who debuted a smattering of new music & production design. This was our first time seeing Clozee outdoors with room for flow toys. There was such a large, welcoming group of artists that gathered in the back of the main stage, it was very very cool. Saturday night, STS9 took everyone on a sonic journey, marking their first time playing in Oregon since 2017 and boy was it worth the wait. Sunday truly stole the show for me though, with Jungle putting on an epic performance to kick off their US tour. I am so happy that Cascade was able to pull them to start their tour here in the PNW. They performed as the final act at the main stage on Sunday, following a wild performance by Marc Ribillet. He certainly knows how to bring the energy and involve the crowd. He invited plenty of the crowd up on stage to make live arrangements based on their props or things they said. The man is truly talented.
The headliners only tell part of the musical story at Cascade Equinox though, with all 3 days filled with stellar artists that ranged from local favorites to huge names and even an alter ego of a pretty big artist! Without going too much into each day, I wanted to shout out a few of my favorite sets from the weekend that weren’t headlining: Justin Jay brought his fun eclectic mix of techno & bass music to the Tilt stage (what I wouldn’t have given to have him play at 12am after Clozee as opposed to a 4pm timeslot). Free Creatures was a band I was not familiar with but immediately fell in love with on Saturday as we sat in the grass at the main stage. The vibes from the crowd were immaculate and the sense of community really brought a great start to our Saturday. Poolside was my favorite set of Saturday and they really brought a great energy to the sunset slot. Speaking of sunsets, Neil Francis played a rare duo Hybrid DJ set Sunday during sunset that took the honor of my favorite set of the weekend. The beautiful pink and orange of the sunset behind main stage combined with the uplifting house music those lads were pumping really stole the show for me. Noetik the Alchemist brought the heat during his Tilt set and at the pop-up outside of Tilt on Sunday morning. And last but not least Goopsteppa was such a fun and drippy set (that again I wish was later in the evening).
Where I think the 2024 edition of Cascade wasn’t quite as on point as 2023 was in the lineup timings. In 2023 I felt a very strong connection to the way the stages & music were lined out, with a strong progression through the day that went from fun jam & funk to the darker bass & house artists as the night crept in. It kept me wanting to stay in the festival until the wee hours of the morning. This year I found myself not enjoying the bass music as much (not because it was bad, quite the opposite in fact) because a lot of it happened when the sun was out. It just felt a little off/backward. Overall it didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the festival and it pushed me to visit the pop-up stages outside of Tilt which made my nights a lot of fun.
The Non-Music Stuff:
Just like in 2023, music is only part of what makes Cascade Equinox so special. It was great to see some familiar faces in the vendor street returning this year. My favorite part about the vendors at Cascade Equinox is that they all feel like they belong. I often have a negative feeling about vendors at festivals as they feel disconnected from the event and the people there. Cascade Equinox bucks this trend for me by intentionally putting vendors that you want to see there. You can buy all sorts of clothing, decorations, jewelry, etc. that look like (and most likely are) the exact things you see at the festival and camps. Each shop we popped into had lovely customer service and were very dedicated to ensuring we could find something we liked.
When we needed to unwind or relax between sets, The Grove offered a great space to do just that. In this area you can find a great selection of craft beers, local wines, and mixed drinks surrounded by artisan booths. This space was specifically designed to allow you to unwind and I wish more festivals took this approach to allowing everyone to restore their energy without having to leave the festival itself.
Cascade Equinox 2024 really highlighted the community through its various workshops, live art, and wellness activities. Throughout each day there was no shortage of activities to seek out to strengthen your bond with your community around you, and honestly that is what is most special about Cascade Equinox. Bravo.
The post Cascade Equinox 2024 Review: The Evolution of a Still Intimate Festival appeared first on Magnetic Magazine.