Surviving Hard Summer
Like every festival I consider spending hours of my life at, I spent a minimum of two hours scrolling Hard Summer threads on Reddit.
Parking strategies, packing lists, and the cost of a beatbox at the festival in 2014 have all been carefully filed away. Buried deep in r/hardsummer, I found an eleven-year-old thread from someone excited to see Dillon Francis, Porter Robinson, Zeds Dead, and Chromeo.
Like an insect preserved in amber, the sight of that lineup became a definitive statement about the culture of that year.
In the eighteen years since its birth, Hard Summer has moved through a series of historic venues such as the Shrine Exposition Hall, The Forum, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and now SoFi Stadium. In 2009, they booked Crystal Castles, Steve Aoki, and Underworld. In 2011, Odd Future, Boys Noize, and Skrillex. Rae Sremmurd, DJ Snake, and Migos played in 2017. This year, they will be hosting 2hollis, Frost Children, Sammy Virji, and a plethora of other artists. Every year reflects a slightly different version of youth culture frozen in time.
Besides the festival’s socially relevant headliners, there are a few other things that have stayed true to the Hard Summer identity. Many attendees mention that the 18+ age limit offers a unique opportunity for kids on the precipice of adulthood to experience festival culture for the first time. As one Reddit user put it, ‘it’s a gateway festival for graduating high school kids, new ravers, and college kids…Gen Z house, hard techno, and hard bounce crowd.’
While the areas around each of Hard Summer’s former venues have historically hosted DIY indie, hardcore, and nascent electronic scenes, it is a different experience entirely to attend a festival with major acts. During the stints when the festival was hosted in El Monte, Pomona, and San Bernardino, this meant bringing major touring artists to parts of Southern California outside the traditional Los Angeles circuit.
However, one user notes, ‘If you're older than thirty, be prepared to feel old. That being said, I went last year with my beau. We definitely were over thirty, still had an awesome time.’
Through my research, I did pick up a few good tips:
Headliner sets become significantly more crowded, which leaves the rest of the festival pretty wide open. Take advantage of the smaller sets.
In recent years, there has been a free shuttle from the LAX metro station and back. You can park at the Redondo Beach or El Segundo metro stations for free and take the train to and from the shuttle stop.
Several veteran attendees recommend buying an electrolyte drink early rather than spending time waiting in water fountain lines later in the day.
Bring body wipes/hand wipes, disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer etc.
Eat a high protein meal before going.
As always, respect other festival goers. Your experience will be shaped by the people around you.
For many attendees, especially those who grew up in Southern California, Hard Summer may be their first festival. As Hard Summer now draws up to 85,000 people per day, it may be their first time standing in a crowd of tens of thousands. With no roadmap and no way to see every act, each person has to make some sacrifices and, hopefully, go see someone they’re interested in on their own. The Hard Summer lineup ensures that whoever attends will be exposed to acts from many genres, if the individual is willing to venture out to sets they don’t recognize.
At Hard Summer this year, I will absolutely be floating through Boys Noize, 2hollis, Frost Children, Snowstrippers, and Underscores. But, anybody would be wrong for leaving without catching some of MCR-T, Nick León, Locklead, and Tokischa.
Hard Summer releases a bright neon poster listing all of their acts. Read the fine print.