Festival season is upon us, and there was no better way to kick it off than in gorgeous San Diego for CRSSD FEST. It’s impossible to name only one thing that CRSSD FEST did right, but we’ll start with the waterfront scenery and downtown-backdrop. The location made this festival visually appealing and only a hop away from the roaring after parties that kept the good vibes going into the night. Goldenvoice and FNGRS CRSSD teamed up to provide a music festival that was most certainly NOT your grandmother’s festival and most definitely not a rave. The music, for one, was indie-electronic-deep fusion featuring established acts like Empire of The Sun, but giving stages to acts with a strong underground following like Thomas Jack, Lido, Kaytranada, and San Diego’s very own Lee K. CRSSD FEST was a 21 plus event, and sold out to a crowd of 15,000 attractive San Diegans and non-San Diegans. Maybe it was something in the water, but this festival drew an attractive crowd of Coachella-dressed Beauties and Half-dressed Gym bros from San Diego’s own population the most.

Not to be outdone, the food, yes, FOOD was another arena in which this festival will leave others in the dust. Featuring local eateries like Soda & SWINE to BANG BANG’s sushi followed by The Neighborhood’s tropical drinks with our favorite little umbrella decorations, the food was an experience in and of itself. The Craft beer gave this festival the texture that San Diegan’s crave, and we all know the 21 and over crowd is ready to leave the Natty Light days behind, well for the most part.

The set up featured three different stages and ample room to skip along from stage to stage, although at times there was a faint soundbleed from stage to stage, it was the inaugural CRSSD after all. There were bean bags and magic carpets supplying comfort to those that needed quick breaks between dance-marathons, and gorgeous fountains where the free-spirits roamed about cooling down their hot-natured bodies. This festival just set the bar higher than even we could have imagined.

Our favorite sets from Saturday were the very tropical-infused Thomas Jack, sophisticated Aeroplane, and a sexy set by Kaytranada, although no stage lacked presence and musical fire. Sunday it was SNBRN’s incredible set that foreshadowed Day Two would be as much of a success as day one. Trippy Turtle provided some sexy beats, and our other favorites were Flight Facilities and Odesza.

All in all, we are left with some SERIOUS post-festival blues. Can CRSSD FEST happen once a month?
Great festival, great music, great food, sign us up for next year’s edition. 😉