The North Coast Music Festival sets itself apart from other festivals by having a diverse range of musical acts.  From groovy jam bands to electronic dance music to rap to reggae, North Coast has it all. With three stages, a dance tent and a silent disco over three days, there was so much happening it is hard to recap all that went down.  But here is our attempt of the best moments with photos to back it up:

Yoga

In case you skipped the gym on your way to the fest, North Coast Music Fest had you covered with a special outdoor yoga session.  So nobody had any excuse not to have their chi in balance.

Art Installations

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chicago in the late summer is beautiful enough, but North Coast took the liberty to accentuate that beauty by placing art installations around Union Park.  There was the Living Graffiti Gallery where spray painters demonstrated their talent by painting live and up close.  Some allowed the crowd to pick up a can and participate.  There were other innovative and original art installations around the fest grounds for people to admire, appreciate and take selfies with.

 

Silent Disco

A dance party without sound?  What the?  Yep, the North Coast Music Fest had a Silent Disco area with not one, but two DJs performing simultaneously.  Everyone in the Silent Disco was handed headphones that could  switch between the two DJs sets.  So even if you didn’t like the music your date was listening to, you could still dance together.

The Fashion

How to describe the fashion at North Coast Music Fest?  Lots of neon.  Polka-dot pajamas. Maybe some fur?  Many, many raver-girl tutus and lots of glitter.  Anything goes, as long as you can dance your ass off in it.  The styles at North Coast are an attraction onto themselves.

Time to Take A Load Off

Whew.  There is a lot going on and North Coast Music Fest is three days long.  It was important to stay hydrated and pace yourself.  The smartest among the crowds knew how to do that in style, like this guy.

The Headliners

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ve gotten this far into the best moments and we haven’t even mentioned the music.  The acts at North Coast hit on every positive feeling you could desire.  If you want to groove to a jam band, there were amazing sets by Lettuce and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead.  If you want to hear the flow of A-List Hip Hop Artists, you had killer shows from Big Boi and Gucci Mane.  If you wanted to dance in the streets, there was the House Tent full of beats, lasers and smoke.  But the main reason Union Park is packed is because of the headliners, and this years did not disappoint.  Deadmau5 and Eric Prydz closed out Friday with a bombastic set of electronic music that had the whole West Side dancing.  Saturday night Damian Marley closed the night with a celebratory reggae set that had the crowd mellow and feeling good.  Sunday Ween closed out the entire fest with a deliriously odd but thoroughly enjoyable show that put an exclamation mark on the entire weekend.

The Vibe

North Coast Music Fest is a lot of things.  It’s a place to hear great music performed by top-notch talent.  It’s a place to admire great artwork.  It’s an excuse dance to dance and dance and dance some more.  However, the thing that North Coast Music Fest is most known for is the vibe.  It’s just a great place to spend a weekend with your friends having the time of your life.

Photos by K. Joseph Fotos.  Full Gallery Here.