2013 welcomed the first official year of Magnetic Music Festival in Kennesaw, GA on April 20th! If you’re into the new wave electronic movement known as Dubstep, or if you’re a fan of Electric Forest Festival or Counterpoint, Magnetic Music Fest is one you’ll want to lend an ear to in the future. Well equipped with the sounds of some of the biggest names in the EDM genre (ie., Zeds Dead, Flux Pavilion, Dash Berlin, Adventure Club), Magnetic was a festival sure to keep the crowd dancing from early afternoon until midnight. In case you’ve never heard of Kennesaw, it’s a small, mountain town about 15 minutes north of Atlanta. Don’t let the size fool you, however, for Kennesaw is home to one of the most renowned universities in the Northern Georgia area, Kennesaw State University. This is where Magnetic Music Fest called home for its first go-round, and chances are, there wasn’t any studying happening on campus this Saturday, but for good reason, of course.
The weather could not have provided a better day for a music festival, with bright blue skies, and a nice breeze setting off the perfect spring atmosphere of 68 degrees and sunshine. The KSU football stadium was overflowing with students, alumni, and probably even a few professors as well. Even if you weren’t hanging out at the KSU football stadium, you could still enjoy the bass dropping music throughout the town all day. With the majority of the crowd mainly seeking Dubstep beats and heavy EDM, lots were happy with the lineup. For those who were not at Magnetic Music Fest just for electronic music, it was a thrill to have Kid Cudi close the festival.
Though KSU goers had first dibs on tickets and discounts, they weren’t the only ones able to get front and center. The festival welcomed the whole public, with tickets in advance and at the door. There was no trouble finding the show, because the line wrapped completely around the ticket booths of the stadium, and the crowd was pulsating with energy before the doors even opened. I was pleased to hear the festival venue was aged at 16 and up, because the connection between teenagers and the music they love is full of undeniable, contagious positivity. Just as soon as the doors opened at 1 in the afternoon, the opening DJs took the stage to get the crowd hyped up. Even as early as 1pm, there was a respectable crowd engaging with the DJs, dancing, singing, hula hooping, and preparing themselves to spend a day out in the sun.
Though Magnetic is new to the festival world, the lack of experience showed no signs to lack of a quality festival. From food to fashion and art, MMF was bursting at the seams with festival culture. Magnetic Fest really made the festival it’s own with local features. If you were slapped on the wrist with a “21 and Up” band upon entering you were able to enjoy beer brewed locally in Marietta, Georgia by Red Hare Brewing Company, as well as a custom bar offering anything you could think of. For the younger festival goers, there was a Smoothie King tent, frozen lemonade coolers, shaved iced, soft drink stations scattered all around the festival. Of course, only the finest festival treats were there to accompany the drinks on deck. Local barbeque joint, Williamson Bros. Barbeque, was the hit of the day offering sandwiches and fries. There were also grilled hamburgers, corndogs, ice cream, fish and chips, and of course– it’s not a festival without funnel cakes! There was no time for boredom during the switch of a music set, because Magnetic had much more to offer. Ecologie Vintage, a local vintage and consignment store located in Kennesaw, had a whole booth full of clothing conveniently catered for spring festival days. If you weren’t interested in shopping, there was also a sand art booth, Creative Loafing Magazine tent, and even a booth for Zombie Caricature– because who doesn’t want an illustration of them and their friends as zombies. The festival attendees were like walking pieces of art themselves, dressed in their brightest neons, beads, flowers and custom Magnetic Music Festival tees provided by Icebox Screening Company.
The vast assortment of different people in a music festival is always a beautiful sight- from one extreme to the other- they come together from opposite ends of the spectrum all for one thing they have in common- the music. Three stages made up the music components, each welcoming EDM artists at different experience levels in their careers. The smaller stage, known as Enchanted Village Stage, catered to new artists who may have played their first set at MMF. They were sure to leave with a bigger following, as the crowd showed love, handed out Facebook page information, and danced their way through the set. The “Digital Distortion” stage didn’t have a quiet minute all day, as the crowd only grew through the afternoon, and thanks to acts such as Adventure Club, Zeds Dead, and Flux Pavilion to set off the night, the dancing never ceased and the party never stopped. The “Magnetic Force Field” stage could have been a festival all on its own, with an amazing lightshow and headlining acts such as Dash Berlin and Kid Cudi. The crowd filled the entire stadium to watch Cudi perform. The party ended around midnight, but was followed by the official Magnetic after party at the Quad in Kennesaw. The first Magnetic Music Festival is sure to not be the last, because much like the name suggests, the party attracted EDM fans far and wide, and is sure to be welcomed again in many years to come.