Since its inaugural year, Gatineau, Quebec’s Riverside Festival has continuously surpassed our wildest expectations by welcoming some of the biggest names in dance music and sprinkling additional special touches to the beautiful grounds of the Canadian Museum of History. This year’s highly anticipated 7th edition was no exception. From Saturday, September 7, 2019, to Sunday, September 8, 2019, we had the opportunity to cover this well-known festival.
For 2019, the organizers once again kicked things up a notch by not only hosting a two-day festival for the second consecutive year, but also offering a brand new experience christened Riverside Festival 2019: Opening Night. The event kicked off on Friday, September 6, 2019, on the festival’s grounds, giving partygoers the opportunity to check out the overall layout ahead of the official first day of the event.
Ever since September rolled around, there’s no question that the Capital of Canada and the surrounding areas have been hit with colder weather. The Opening Night was no exception as rain poured down on its attendees. Although the weather was on the chillier side, the heat from the artist’s sets kept partygoers warm. We were completely blown away by the local talent that took the stage that night!
Rossvel threw down a memorable b2b performance with Classyfied. Chefnier stole the show with his melodic vibes which were often comparable to Illenium‘s distinct sound. MAC dropped consistent bangers such as local DJ Return of the Jaded‘s new track ‘Acid Baby‘!
Relieve Chefnier’s Live Set Below:
Overall, the evening was an absolute blast! The music was topnotch, the atmosphere was dynamic, and it didn’t hurt that many of the attendees managed to snag the first 1,000 free tickets. Headlining the Opening Night was none other than Matroda! Riverside Festival often features bass artists. That said, the explosive bass house and garage impressions were welcomed by all.
With the bar set high, we were ready to tackle the sold-out first day of the festival. The weather was looking promising, and the lineup looked even better. Jay Hardway, Borgore, BTSM, Lost Kings, Maurice West, 13, Matt Doe, and Mike Danglez were billed to perform! We began our adventure by grabbing ourselves a Beach Day Everyday Sangria to support one of the festival’s many partners. Other partners included ALÉA, Bud Light, Desjardins, and more.
The sponsors’ support helped shape the overall experience as well. We were stoked to see games such as giant Connect Four on the grounds. In the surrounding area, attendees could purchase various accessories from the Eye Love Shadez and Kandies World booths, completing one’s festival outfit and elevating one’s overall experience (those kaleidoscope glasses are next level!)
With a drink in hand, we darted over to catch the artists’ performances. Stand out moments included when Jay Hardway brought out Domeno, Borgore expertly mixed his tracks with classic anthems such as ‘Low‘, and the sheer madness unleashed by BTSM to close off the first day of the fest’.
Black Tiger Sex Machine not only delivered what we’d call one of their best sets to date, but also took the time to meet with their fans prior to their performance. Their visuals were the ultimate cherry on top.
If you were looking to continue the festivities, official afterparties were hosted in Ottawa and Gatineau, including Jay Hardway on Saturday, and Riot Ten on Sunday. There was even a free shuttle offered to go to ALÉA!
After some much-needed rest, we geared up for the second and final day of the soldout festival in which KHAØS, Domeno, Riot Ten, Tritonal, Zomboy, and Steve Aoki were scheduled to perform. Words cannot describe how ecstatic we were when we heard Domeno drop a stellar rendition of ‘Riverside‘. We had been waiting years for someone to drop that particular track at the fest’. It certainly didn’t disappoint!
Other highlights included Riot Ten’s undeniably energetic remix of Fisher’s ‘Losing It‘, Tritonal paying tribute to Avicii on his 30th birthday and Zomboy’s entire set. It was absolutely legendary!
We also want to give a special shout out to Steve Aoki for continuously delivering a memorable experience for all. He threw a whopping 10 cakes into the crowd and kept everyone engaged by dropping ‘Crowd Control‘.
Despite the chilly temperatures, Riverside Festival 2019 warmed our hearts with its exceptional performances, dynamic atmosphere, stunning venue, and the historic moments that went down this September. We look forward to seeing what the hardworking team has in store for 2020! Until then, we strongly suggest that you toss a “like” on their Facebook page to stay up to date for next year’s edition.