Paradiso Festival will always hold a special place in my heart, but this year I was captivated once again. This was my very first festival back in 2013, and every year I am blown away by how it's consistently improving. USC Events went above and beyond this year with production, safety and ensuring every patron had the time of their life, needless to say, they succeeded.

Photo Credit: Parallax Media

There are many things that made this year different from any other year I have gone. It was no surprise that the main stage took my breath away, but you could see the detail and hard work USC Events put into the other stages as well. This year, Digital Oasis had a tent covering the audience and The Wreckage looked like it was an Aztec Empire. Not to mention, the art installations were mesmerizing.

Virtual Self brought back vocal trance to 2018 with his captivating display, Tchami & Malaa’s “No Redemption” set showed the PNW how to never recover from a house set, and Deadmau5’s cube had the whole audience’s jaw on the floor. The talent this year at Paradiso was unparalleled to anything I have seen in the past.

iHeartRaves sponsored this year’s campground activities, and it provided festival lovers with tons of activities, including a totem / kandi making station, yoga, and even a glitter bar hosted by Lunatics. If you missed out, I feel bad for you.

Photo Credit: Parallax Media

Digital really met nature this year when a thunderstorm rolled into The Gorge causing safety professionals on site to evacuate the venue and send everyone back to the campsites. USC Events worked hand-in-hand with meteorologists to ensure everyone had a safe experience. Once the venue reopened, the vibe of the festival completely changed. We were all able to come back together and be thankful/joyful that the show was to go on! The silver lining in the thunderstorm was that we were blessed with an unexpected Justin Martin b2b Claude Von Stroke to get the crowd moving again, and that alone was worth reentering the venue. Not to mention, there was an incredible sunset that provided many #nofilter moments on Instagram. 

Photo Credit: Parallax Media

Through rain and shine, and through all the setbacks, USC Event’s gave me the best Paradiso experience I could’ve asked for. Good luck for next year, it’s going to be a challenge to top this one.