Skyline Festival spreads out
Following its 2022 debut in downtown Los Angeles, Insomniac Events’ two-day house and techno Skyline Festival created quite the buzz in the dance fest circuits.
This year, Skyline is settling into a new home in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park. The event is curated by Insomniac’s techno brand Factory 93 and house music counterpart Day Trip, which have joined forces to present top artists in both styles. The lineup includes sets from Dom Dolla, Meduza, Eli & Fur, Peggy Gou, Michael Bibi, Anotr and more Saturday, while acts like Diplo, Joshwa, Charlotte De Witte, Joseph Capriati and Stella Bossi top the bill Sunday.
There’s also plenty of back-to-back performances scattered throughout both days, including Ellen Allien B2B Sara Landry, J. Worra B2B Miane, Shiba San B2B Solardo, and Skream B2B Dennis Ferrer.
After selling out last year’s event with over 7,000 people, Insomniac took all of the fan feedback to heart, including pleas for more room to dance and enjoy the acts. The new digs in Exposition Park will offer plenty of additional space and keep the event close to the city.
“We were looking at venues to still keep it in downtown to go along with the theme of Skyline, and we came across Expo Park,” Meagan Deschenes, head of talent and festivals at Insomniac, said during a recent phone interview. “We went down there with the team and just fell in love with the space. The fact that there’s trees and grass makes it more comfortable for everyone. The stage production will also be better this year since the space is bigger. So we thought it was just the perfect setup.”
For Deschenes, being next to Los Angeles’ Memorial Coliseum felt like “going back to (Insomniac’s) roots,” considering the company’s popular Electric Daisy Carnival was held at the iconic venue from 20072010 before it relocated to Las Vegas.
“It’s a little nostalgic for us,” she said. “Being that close just feels good to be back.”
The reimagined fest will feature west and east side stages. The west side will focus on house music, while the east will highlight techno.
Though Insomniac already puts on well over a dozen festivals throughout Southern California and beyond each year, Skyline fits the Insomniac roster perfectly, since Day Trip and Factory 93 already host side stages at flagship events like EDC and Hard Summer. Bridging the gap between house and techno music — two similar yet distinct subgenres of electronic music — just made sense, Deschenes said.
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“The audience for these communities already love to go to techno shows or house shows, so we thought, let’s just combine the two,” she added. “It just fits really well into the Insomniac family because Day Trip and Factory 93 already do so much. We wanted to service both genres in one setting, so this one is special to us because it feels more intimate, but it’s also a nice size, with artists and activations at the same time.”
Attendees can also expect even more on-site activations, art installations, food trucks and bars. Customers in the VIP section will also have access to a swanky espresso martini bar, too.
“At the end of the day, we’re just really excited about the DJs playing and everyone coming together for the same purpose, which is to have a good time and enjoy the music,” Deschenes said.