Skyline Los Angeles brought a flurry of house and techno artists to Gloria Molina Grand Park, with a few hiccups along the way.
Insomniac’s Day Trip and Factory 93 collaborative festival Skyline Los Angeles returned February 24-25 for another serving of house and techno beats in its third edition. This year, the two brands brought the festival to a new location at DTLA’s Gloria Molina Grand Park, marking the third venue it’s taken place at since it launched in 2022. This change presented welcoming opportunities with four city blocks of space between Los Angeles City Hall and The Music Center; however, the weekend resulted in a few challenges among attendees.
Despite a downpour of rain and muddy conditions during last year’s edition, I had a great time with my friends while dancing to our favorite artists in the scene. Wanting to chase that same positive experience, maybe minus the rain, I chose to attend Skyline again this year and made the two-hour trek up to Los Angeles from San Diego.
While the new venue in the heart of DTLA seemed great in theory, it came with some complications.
Entry was a breeze for me on the first day, but others weren’t so lucky. After arriving at Grand Park on day one around 4:30pm, my friends and I entered the venue pretty seamlessly. After speaking with a few attendees and checking social media later in the day, I learned that those who arrived after that were met with a hefty line to get in the venue, with some waiting upward of an hour or more. Insomniac did resolve this issue by day two, as far as I’m aware.
Grand Park could be difficult to navigate at times. There were no distinct paths between stages, and I encountered a few bottlenecks when entering and exiting the narrow walkways of the West Side. I heard stories of attendees being pickpocketed left and right, with a friend of mine almost becoming a victim but catching the perpetrator in action. Whether you’re in a crowd of people or vibing out by yourself, always make sure your belongings are secured.
My worst experience of the weekend, though, came when attempting to use the GA restrooms on the West Side on the first day; it was nearly impossible to get in and out of the area safely as so many people crowded around. While Insomniac fixed this issue at the East Side bathrooms for the following day, the West Side bathrooms appeared the same.
There were some positives about Skyline Los Angeles this year, though.
Food options were plentiful throughout the venue; I noticed pizza, street food, fried chicken, tacos, donuts, and vegan options, among others. I never had to wait in line to get a drink, either.
While the stage designs were fairly minimal, they fit the festival’s vibe, and there was no sound bleed between the three stages. This year’s new Arts District stage, which was located in the middle of the venue, was the perfect area to catch a breather and hear tunes from some of the most dynamic and up-and-coming artists on the lineup. My friends and I also took advantage of a few colorful photo opportunities near the East Side.
Musically, this year’s edition of Skyline Los Angeles allowed me to catch a few artists I’ve never seen before.
While artists like Vintage Culture, CamelPhat, and Hot Since 82 piqued my interest on the lineup, I was looking forward to hearing music from artists I’d never had the chance to see yet. Sets from Laolu and Adam Ten warmed us up with house-fueled beats as we first arrived at the East Side stage on the first day. The melodic techno sounds of Mind Against soothed my soul; this was my first time catching this duo, and I know it won’t be the last.
After a quick visit to the West Side to catch the house sounds of Chris Stussy, Hot Since 82 took over the decks on the East Side. Both Hot Since 82 and CamelPhat left a little more to be desired, as their sets seemed pretty typical from what I’ve seen before. By the time Anyma’s signature “The Sign” with CamelPhat played through the speakers, I had found myself deep in the crowd, dancing with friends and making new ones along the way. Chris Lake was an energetic close to day one’s festivities, although sound issues were present as the music cut out at least three times during his set.
Meanwhile, the second day brought a heavy dose of techno, with French artist Nico Moreno being a treat I wasn’t expecting from my first time catching him. Hard techno satisfied souls at the West Side throughout Sunday, with sets from artists like Indira Paganotto and Klangkuenstler taking us all to the next level. Yet Vintage Culture was ultimately the highlight of my weekend as he dropped many unreleased progressive tracks throughout his set, all of which I will anxiously wait to see get a full release.
Skyline Los Angeles was an enjoyable weekend overall, but future improvements can be made.
While I did enjoy my time at Skyline Los Angeles, changes need to be made to the venue layout if the festival will continue to be there. Clear, marked paths between stages would help greatly with traffic flow, and drastic improvements to the restroom areas are needed. That said, Insomniac did listen to fans’ concerns and made adjustments to the second day, which was greatly appreciated and shows signs that next year’s edition will be better if the plan is to return to Gloria Molina Grand Park.
My friends and I did have a better time on the second day, partially due to these improvements and the lineup of artists we looked forward to seeing. Techno artists really brought their all to Skyline, and it is a solid festival to get a blend of house and techno from both heavy hitters and rising artists in the scene. Only time will tell if Skyline will remain at this venue or move again, but next year, the venue and lineup will ultimately determine my decision to make a trip back up to Los Angeles.
