Self-proclaimed Colorado nomad Lisa Gray arrived in Tucson in her Nissan Rogue on Friday afternoon to visit her girlfriend.
Little did she know the sixth annual Dusk Music Festival was in full swing. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect for the ardent EDM fan.
Friday, the day she arrived, was the first day of the sixth annual Dusk Music Festival downtown, Tucson’s largest gathering of EDM and Indie artists.
She said her jaw dropped when she saw such a big lineup for a small city; Alison Wonderland, Sofi Tukker and 36 other performers over Friday and Saturday, Nov. 11-12.
Gray wasn’t the only person who traveled from around the country. Scout Smit and her four friends flew in from Hawaii on Friday and Patrick O’Neil and his friend came from Virginia.
The out-of-towners joined thousands of fans at downtown’s Jácome Plaza for a festival that has grown each year, yet still maintains its authentic small-town feel.
“I love the fact that we’re just in downtown Tucson. It’s nice how the vibe has stayed the same as it’s grown, too,” said Joey Casillas, who has attended the festival every year since it started at Rillito Park in 2016.
Gates opened at 3 p.m. and by 6 p.m., the festival grounds were filling in as crowds gathered around three stages to see a variety of Indie and EDM artists perform.
GRiZ, Zomboy and Young the Giant headlined Friday night on the main Alameda stage in Jácome Plaza, which is surrounded by high rises.
“We’re mostly here to see GRiZ, but we’re excited for the whole lineup. We’ve gone to six or seven festivals this year alone, and this is our last celebration for the year,” said Smit.
Between sets Dusk goers lounged on a pile of green bean bags, ate local vegan food from Danny’s Vegan and played arcade games provided by Cobra Arcade Tucson. Pac Man, pinball machines and other classic arcade games were set up in the middle of the festival grounds.
The festival is a cashless and card-less event, so fans had to load money onto their digital wristbands for purchases. The wristbands also were used to enter the festival.
Dusk Music Festival is cashless, which means fans have to load money onto their digital wristband to enter the festival and buy food, drinks or merchandise.
A team of 15 green-shirted “Dusk Rangers” and 57 other security personnel roamed the crowd in case of any medical or other emergency
Four University of Arizona alumni founded Dusk six years ago as a grass-roots festival that is expected to bring in about 11,000 people over the two days this year.
Tucsonan Joey Casillas and Jack Fitchett from Flagstaff enjoy Aluna’s set at the Alameda stage during Friday’s opening day of the 2022 Dusk Music Festival downtown
The Michigan DJ GRiZ closed out Friday night’s concerts with a wailing solo saxophone performance over his blaring bass loops in front of thousands of headbanging fans including one who leaped onto the stage and embraced the headliner before security tried pulling him away.
Dusk continued on Saturday with headliners Alison Wonderland, Nghtmre and Sofi Tukker’s hybrid DJ set.
