If the DJs who play Dreamstate accomplish what they set out to do, you’ll leave this festival feeling loopy in a good way. Dreamstate is one of the foremost trance festivals, a style of EDM that uses cycles of anticipation and release to induce a communal trance among its listeners. Think high-tempo, repetitive chords, drums and rhythms that lead up to the coveted drop. It’s more melodic than other EDM genres and generally draws a passionate, yet more laid-back crowd. But that doesn’t mean this festival is lowkey a la Ohana Festival or Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Not at all. Insomniac, the same company behind Electric Daisy Carnival, produces Dreamstate, and you should expect the same high energy, just spacier.
Each of the four stages — The Sequence, The Dream, The Vision and The Void — has visuals built around a shape which become the foundation of geometric light and laser shows and otherworldly showers of neons. Performers, referred to as “time travelers, space walkers and extraterrestrial beings,” rove the festival grounds. Attendee reviews say the energy is incredible, especially for those who love trance music or the peace and love credo of EDM. As for the lineup, the festival does a good job catering to the many nooks and crannies of trance. This year you can catch trance pioneer Armin Van Buuren as well as Paul Van Dyk, Giuseppe Ottaviani, Abraxis, a battle set between Aly & Fila and John O’Callaghan and many more.
Dreamstate has staged shows all over the world and this past June expanded to the Los Angeles waterfront in San Pedro, Calif. If you can’t make it this November, check the Insomniac website. You’ll have another chance to catch its vibe.
The Specs
- 26,000 people attend.
- Tickets come in three levels: Experience (General Admission), Experience Plus (GA+) and Elevated Experience (VIP). All are available for one to two days. Two-day Experience passes start at $165.
- Lockers area available for rent.
