HiJinx Festival 2019 Review: A Full Send In Every Way

Arooj M | January 03, 2020

HiJinx Festival successfully blew us away for the second year in a row with a simultaneously soul nourishing and mind-bending excursion into sound this past weekend in Philadelphia. After establishing its roots last year, this time around the festival cemented itself as a coveted new year’s eve bass music destination. HiJinx took place in the Philadelphia Convention Center from December 27-28 once again, which is a massive venue conveniently located in the contemporary downtown area.

The accessible location meant that there was a hub of hotels within walking distance of the venue which made this event an appealing option for travelers. Many fans took advantage of the travel packages to take care of planning any complicated arrangements which included a ticket, hotel stay at a nearby venue, and exclusive merchandise! For such a relatively new festival, the organizers definitely did a fantastic job at making it a convenient and stress free festival to attend no matter where you are coming from.

View this post on Instagram

Happy New Year, HiJinxers! Who’s ready for 2020?!

A post shared by hijinx (@hijinxfest) on Dec 31, 2019 at 9:20pm PST

The first day at the venue did consist of long waiting times outside but thankfully the weather was not too rough which made it manageable, along with the coat check option for VIP for those who were bundled up. The long lines were no surprise since artists known for having cult followings and diehard fanbases like Bassnectar and Griz were playing that evening. However, the following day the waiting times were substantially quicker and there was no problem getting in which demonstrated how the security and organizers are constantly striving to improve the experience.

Once you entered the venue, the setup inside was simplistic and inviting. Friendly High Fivers volunteers greeted excited fans with high fives and elevated the energy with their enthusiasm. They had a strong presence throughout the venue along with security to ensure that attendees were safe while constantly moving through the crowd and offering water to those who needed it.

View this post on Instagram

The send is complete 🗣👁 #HiJinx

A post shared by hijinx (@hijinxfest) on Dec 29, 2019 at 12:30am PST

HiJinx is lovingly known by its signature tagline ‘Full send’ and it stayed true to that in every way. That energy was present in all aspects of the festival from the massive LED signs by the entrance with the message ‘full sends only’ that greeted every attendee upon arrival to the crowd itself. When talking with other attendees, I felt that everyone I met had this unwavering excitement about being there and wanted to go as hard as possible. The community that has formed around HiJinx over the past 2 years consists of bold and bright individuals who all bond over a common passion of getting down to quality electronic music.

As you entered the convention center itself, you had access to the massive official merchandise booth with plenty of awesome items to choose from along with an array of vendors offering the latest festival fashion. This bazaar setup made the space feel like a true hub of festival culture. Right past that area was the stage which consisted of an entire wall covered in LED panels and an insane custom sound system. Every set took place at this stage which meant there were zero conflicts and you didn’t have to worry about finding multiple spots either!

With such a remarkable roster of artists, it was no surprise that HiJinx made for an intense weekend that was not for the weak. Even seasoned festival goers were in for a trip. Zia and SoDown kicked things off with fiery sets on Friday night followed by the mesmerizing sounds of Zion I and Clozee who kept the crowd moving with their unique flows.

Things heated up as Subtronics took the stage and threw down a filthy set before Griz kept the energy going with his hit collaboration with Subtronics 'Griztronics' and more classic songs. He even threw in a remix of Bassnectar's 'Basshead' before he came on! Bassnectar then took the stage and proceeded to play one of his heaviest sets to date and even mixed in melodic tracks like ‘Delamure’ in towards the end. The crowd was exhausted by then, but everyone still went all out for the finale with Zeds Dead!

Night two started off with vibey sets from Wavedash, Kittens, and a wild throwdown from The Underachievers. Droleo and Big Wild followed with bass heavy sets then Porter Robinson wowed the crowd with a DJ set. Skrillex was easily one of the best sets of the weekend, and he played a relentless set packed with classic bangers that brought everyone back to their old-school dubstep days. The festival came to a close with an Excision b2b Slander set that was certainly one for the books!

HiJinx Festival combined outstanding production with world class amenities and made for one of the greatest New Year’s electronic festivals in the country thanks to all the efforts made by their team. The festival is continuing to expand exponentially so there’s no telling what’s in store for next year! Just be sure to be there if you want to experience what it means to fully send it!

Photos courtesy of HiJinx Festival's Facebook