Recap: Infrasound 2019? Harmony Park?
So, Infrasound moved to Harmony Park for its 2019 run.
Harmony Park has been Infrasound’s dream location ever since the festival was established back in 2011. Eight years and three moves later, they’ve hopefully made it to their final destination. Organizers of the event announced that Infrasound has been invited back to Harmony Park for 2020. The question is — will it happen?
As someone who has coincidentally attended Harmony Park since 2011, attended multiple years of Infrasound and has mad love for both scenes, I believe I can help consolidate the situation. With the change in location came some changes to the Infrasound experience — some more impactful than others.
I’ve broken down the three changes I deemed most significant using a newly developed and highly comprehensive emoji rating system.
😊 = Positive
😐 = Neutral
😡 = Negative
Noise Ordinance
Rating – 😊
When 1 a.m. strikes at Harmony Park, amplified music must take its leave until morning, out of respect for the locals. However, just because amplified music becomes silenced doesn’t mean the entire festival does. After 1 a.m. is a great time to relax, connect with your campmates or meet new people. Some weirdos even choose to sleep at this hour.
If music is still what you crave, then the silent disco is what you need. The silent disco was a new feature for Infrasound. Putting on headphones and stepping into a room filled with visuals induces a surreal, video game-like experience. And silent disco sunrise sets are definitely something I would not mind experiencing more of in the future.
The noise ordinance might seem like a childish rule. It might even seem a bit like a bedtime. But, you don’t have to go to bed. Furthermore, some would argue that subjecting the entire festival to heavy bass and high decibels into the wee hours of the morning is the more oppressive of the two options. This route allows for a more positive experience overall.
Running Water
Rating – 😊
This is a luxury Infrasound’s previous location did not have. Potential water shortages are now a thing of the past.
Having access to running water is one crucial part of festivals. It’s hard to gage how much water you will need between basic human needs, cooking, cleaning (dishes and dirt), chasing alcohol when you have nothing else and more. All you gotta do is take a 10 minute lap and you have a full water vessel.
This detail also means that event organizers have more money to spend in other areas of their budget, if you know what I’m saying. Bigger and better stages, more art installations and bigger artists can all be talked about in the planning stages.
Police Presence
Rating – 😐
The police will be present at Harmony Park for the foreseeable future, so we have to do our best to be optimistic about the situation and “work with them” in a sense.
Most people would prefer that no police be allowed on the grounds, but since they are, we should use their presence to our advantage as best as we can.
Furthermore, excessively belligerent individuals who may cause trouble will either get weeded out quickly or chill out before they do.
Of course, there will always be the unlucky few who get busted while doing everything, safe, discreet and minding their own business. The best we can do is keep our wits about us and reduce such occurrences to the lowest amount possible.
I would initially rate police presence as a negative aspect, but since their impact is directly related to how attendees respond to it, it’s partially in our hands to help sway it in a positive direction.
The Bar
Rating – 😊
You can run back to camp and grab a new drink every time you desire, or you can stop and try a drink you didn’t bring. Bringing a cooler full of beer is an option, but who wants to carry a heavy pack around to the stages? The prices for drinks weren’t too high and it’s guaranteed to be cold. You’re also helping support the bartenders who work all weekend! The only downside is that they only took cash and the ATM fees were $7.
Size and Layout of Harmony Park
Rating – 😊
The intimate size of Harmony Park generally contributes to an easygoing, low-stress festival experience. Almost any point in the park is within a 10 minute walk from any other point, including the parking lot. Due to the amount of attendees at Infrasound, however, Harmony Park felt a bit too cramped and crowded for some.
No matter which side of the coin you fall on, it’s difficult to disagree with the convenience of Harmony Park’s layout. The park is primarily a giant oval with a path cut through the middle. Feel free to head down the trail in any direction and eventually find what you’re looking for. It shouldn’t even take too long.
Even people who aren’t the most fond of the lack of space should be able to have an enjoyable experience as long as there’s sufficient room to camp and party. As long as Infrasound doesn’t plan on expanding significantly, Harmony Park is a reasonable size for the event.
The Magic of the Oaks
Rating – 😊 😊 😊
Whether or not you feel inclined to label this point hippie nonsense, there is still validity to it. There’s shade almost everywhere you can camp. There’s countless places to hang hammocks. Plus they look damn good when Tipper is shining lasers on them.
There you have it, folks. I give Infrasound’s move to Harmony Park, at the very least, a solid 😊 and 😐 out of 😊😐😡.
Photos by Autumn Erdmann
Video and Playlist by Robbie Tovar
Edits by Jenna Vagle
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