Life is Beautiful is an annual festival that hosts a variety of musical guests, artists, comedy acts, and chefs in downtown Las Vegas. The festival is held in late September and this year I attended and had one of the best festival experiences of my life!
*DISCLAIMER* I am not a huge Vegas fan */DISCLAIMER* but this swayed my opinion enough to at least stop trash talking each time it’s brought up. The fact that the event was held in downtown (Old) Vegas, away from the hectic main strip, solidified the first huge pro in my book. Since I’m not a huge gambler and live in a relatively touristy city myself, I tend to stay away from extra crowded spaces unless a fantastic lineup beckons me, such as LIB’s this year.
The eclectic event included heavy hitters like The Weeknd, Arcade Fire, Florence + the Machine, Travis Scott and DJ Snake; it also hosted a variety of up and comers like Sabrina Claudio, Blackbear, Sir Sly, and Alison Wonderland. To extend its reach, LIB also featured a group of wildly talented comedy acts like Natasha Leggero, Michelle Wolf, Hannibal Buress, and Trixie Mattel; SO MUCH TO DO AND SEE (AND EAT!)!
The music lineup was so massive that I had literally NO time to see any of the comedy acts, let alone the stunning art installations and exhibits that were on display. From what I gathered from small stops and glances at the exhibits, it would definitely be worthwhile to schedule some ‘down time’ for the other entertainment this stacked festival has to offer next time.
Another impressive couple of feats were the location, crowd control, and overall layout of the festival. I never felt overwhelmed with the crowd or like I didn’t have somewhere to take a break. The stages were adequately spaced apart, with plenty of delicious food to eat from the assorted carts or flashy art to keep you entertained in the spaces between. Other festivals I’ve been to are typically a bit more open, but also seem to suffer from congestion and mobs of people you have to wade through to get to the next stage. Having the festival in the streets of downtown Vegas helped create an extremely unique cityscape feel that only added to the overall vibe.
Some of my favorite performers I got to see while attending include: Foster the People, Santigold, The Neighbourhood, N.E.R.D., CHVRCHES, and Miguel, to name a few. Festivals like this are a wonderful reminder of how great these events can be. With diverse lineups, fantastic food, and a great location, Life is Beautiful will be a difficult experience to surpass on the festival circuit.
You can find a variety of the artists featured at LIB in our Core offerings: Concrete Beats, Hot R&B, Hitline, Kinetic, and Power Hits.
– Submitted by Tristan Bolden, Music Design