By Loana McCabe-Gould
There is something special about festivals at The Gorge Amphitheater in Washington state. After having ABGT 250 there in 2016, Above and Beyond decided to come back two years later to announce a festival there. Excision decided to bring his curated festival, Bass Canyon to the Gorge. But before all of that, Paradiso festival has brought music and nature together since 2012, and it is going strong as ever. After releasing an amazing lineup on March 1st, many festival goers from both in and out of state are planning to travel to attend this festival and experience the magic of Paradiso. Still trying to decide if you want to make it to Paradiso this year? Here is some basic information about the festival that will hopefully help you make the decision to attend this year!
Date
June 14th-15th, 2019
Location
Paradiso festival is at a venue called The Gorge Amphitheater, which is approximately a 2.5 hour drive from Seattle. If you are traveling from out of state, you should either plan on flying to the Seattle-Tacoma Airport in Seattle, Pangborn Memorial Airport in Wenatchee, or Yakima Air Terminal in Yakima.
Tickets
Sadly VIP tickets have been sold out for a few weeks, but you still have your chance to snag a GA ticket before they sell out! Make sure to buy your tickethere, tickets are currently at Tier 3 at $199+ fees. Please make sure to buy your ticket from a reliable source, anyone trying to sell you paper tickets are not reliable since Paradiso is moving to wristbands for the first time this year.
Camping
There are 4 different types of camping options: General, Premier, Gold, and Terrace. However, General is the only available option right now, since Premier, Gold, and Terrace usually sell out soon after camping passes go on sale. Currently, General Camping is availablehere starting $109. If you already have your ticket, make sure to get your camping pass as soon as possible!
Lineup
USC Events announced a monster lineup at the beginning of March, and this is a festival you definitely don’t want to miss this year. There are amazing headliners this year such as Skrillex, Kaskade, Illenium, and Zeds Dead on the lineup. There are three stages at Paradiso every year. Mainstage usually features bigger headliners, Wreckage features bass and heavier music, and Digital Oasis usually features house, trance, and techno.
Some of the artists I’m excited to see are Illenium, Zhu, Keys N Krates, and Rusko, and I’m really excited to see Skrillex, I_O, Coone, and Whethan for the first time! Overall, this is a very diverse lineup, and along with seeing some big name artists, you will also have the chance to branch out and see a few amazing local artists as well.
Experiences of Past Paradiso Attendees
“Paradiso was my first out of country festival and I had no idea what to expect. Going over that hill and seeing the stage, feeling the music, being overwhelmed by so much positive energy and beauty will be something I will never forget. I’ve made some great memories there and plan to make many more. I can’t wait to get back there this summer and see what it holds for me this year.” - Brittany Hardman (@lunavibes_94)
"Paradiso is a place that always feels like home to me. It was my first all-electronic festival and with the majestic background of the Colombia River Gorge, wonderful music and production, and some of the best crowds you'll ever meet at a festival, it truly is one of a kind and the best festival out there." - Chris Roeder (@rockyroeder)
“I have been to roughly 30 festivals now and Paradiso is still ranked number one in my book. The vibes were incredible as soon as we pulled into the campsite. Everybody I met at Paradiso was incredibly welcoming, kind, and generous. It reminded me that PLUR is definitely still alive and well. The view of the main stage on the hill overlooking the Gorge is truly a breathtaking site. Being able to watch your favorite DJ’s with your best friends as the sun goes down is a feeling that is indescribable and that everyone should experience!” - Chelsey Saleh (@chelseybeasaleh)
Overall I’m very excited to be back on the hill for Paradiso as well. This will be my fourth Paradiso, and I’m excited to continue to make amazing memories at the Gorge as I have done in the past years. If you would like to follow my journey there, make sure to follow my instagram, @loanabanana82. Hope to see everyone there, please feel free to send me a DM through Instagram if you have any questions about the festival!