Have you ever had so much fun at an event that it felt like it went by in a blink of an eye? We recently had the opportunity to cover Montreal’s Igloofest and that’s exactly what happened! Although the festival seemed to fly by, we were still able to soak in most of the undeniably special elements that the festival is well-known for. Without further ado, here’s what went down on Friday, January 24, 2020…
For months now, we’ve been eagerly anticipating the moment where we’d finally be able to catch one of i_o‘s live performances. Our dreams became a reality when Igloofest announced the American producer as one of its headliners. As a cherry on top to an already perfect lineup, REZZ was billed to close off the event. At that moment, we knew the Sapporo Stage was going to be packed with memorable moments!
The workday went by slower than a herd of snails traveling through peanut butter. The anticipation to live all of the magic that’s held within the grounds of the Quai Jacques-Cartier in the Old Port of Montreal started to sink in. When the clock hit 5:00 p.m., we immediately darted out of the office to kick-start our evening’s adventures. We couldn’t have been more excited!
After gearing up in our snow gear, we were ready to make Igloofest 2020 one to remember! Upon arrival, we immediately prepared to take a photo in front of the beautiful Ferris wheel. To our surprise, we were interrupted by Montreal natives who offered to take the shot for us. The couple radiated sheer positivity and set the tone for the night’s festivities. Spoiler: good vibes were sprinkled around like confetti until we left the grounds.
At this point, our excitement truly overcame up. We literally skipped our way to the entrance, where we were welcomed by friendly and helpful staff. In our experience, Montreal has a reputation to host very well-organized festivals. This year, they continued to uphold this standard and we couldn’t have been more impressed! The check-in process went by so quickly – to the point where there was practically no one in line.
When we entered the VIP area, we were pleased to see private bar/lounge areas and merchandise kiosks. It instantly elevated the overall experience. To our delight, we were treated to heated areas, including the washrooms. Although it wasn’t all that cold, it was a special touch that we greatly appreciated. It will undeniably come in handy during the next few weeks of Igloofest. Canadian winters are unpredictable, after all.
Another special touch in the VIP area is the elevated platforms which allow you to quickly travel to the two stages – Sapporo and Vidéotron. It also offers a stunning view of the grounds in which you can see the magnitude of the event; it’s extremely impressive! We could feel the energy flowing through the air! The hundreds of partygoers were living in the moment – it was truly a beautiful sight to witness!
We started to make our way through the crowd. The attendees’ smiling faces and dynamic energy was contagious. We were instantly blown away by the VJs | VJ Cafrine & Diagraf captivating visuals that expertly matched the opener LUNR‘s set. We made our way to the Sapporo VIP area just in time to catch i_o’s performance. That’s when things really started to heat up…
When we saw i_o step on stage, we do not kid you…real tears were shed. Sheer happiness overcame us; we could not believe we were finally seeing the talented producer in real life! Prior to the event, we were wondering what i_o would wear. He’s known for his serious techno style – one that would not mix well with below zero temperatures. To our surprise, he rocked a bandanna and a sweater. Our theory: his beats were so hot, they kept him warm!
In true i_o fashion, he dropped some of his biggest hits including ‘Replicate‘, ‘System Error‘ and ‘Rave 444‘ – fulfilling our greatest desires. To our amazement, he surpassed our wishes by dropping an impeccable remix of deadmau5‘ hit classic ‘Strobe‘ and a bunch of other expertly mixed tracks. If we could describe his set in one word, it would be “perfection”.
Sadly, just like his cigarettes, he was out. …When the Space Mom herself stepped on stage, you could feel the atmosphere shift. There’s no question that REZZ and i_o have very different sounds. Due to i_o’s techno-heavy sound, we believe it may have been better if he followed REZZ. However, that didn’t stop the crowd from loving his set any less!
REZZ’s sound works well on large stages due to her bass-heavy anthems and showstopping visuals. There was a noticeable difference in the size of the crowd versus when i_o was performing, but that comes as no surprise as the Canadian DJ has quite the following (the cult of REZZ and/or “REZZbians”) and she was also the highly anticipated closing act.
The Niagara Falls native unleashed a jaw-dropping performance – but let’s be real, we didn’t expect anything less! As always, her iconic goggles and killer visuals got everyone’s attention, but her monstrous tunes were what kept the crowd entertained. When she played ‘Relax‘, the attendees seemed to be in sync! The melody wiggled its way into everyone’s bodies and the crowd was absolutely vibin’. REZZ is simply…everything!
Another highlight was when REZZ dropped Dillon Francis‘ chart-climber ‘Still Not Butter‘. The track is hilarious on its own, however, what we couldn’t believe is that someone in the VIP area got St-Hubert delivered to the designated area. The delivery’s timing mixed with the track playing in the background was sheer perfection. Whoever you were, that was legendary, dude!
At this moment in time, we wanted to explore some of the other amazing elements that the festival has to offer. We went down the Iglooglisse slide, checked out some of the numerous games, feasted on some delicious Beaver Tails (as a true Canadian would), among much more! To end the night, we checked out Vladamir Cauchemar‘s set; and he certainly didn’t disappoint! When he dropped ‘Turn Down For What‘, the mosh pits begun and the crowd went wild!
…And just like that, the event was over. Having too much fun is a both a blessing and a curse. You often don’t realize how magical a moment is until it’s passed by, although your heart feels so full at the same time. We absolutely adored our time at Igloofest (as always) and look forward to attending more events in the future. If you’d like to attend, or for more related information, keep it locked here.
