This past weekend I attended Imagine Music Festival and Atlanta, Georgia for the first time. It was a weekend full of fun and excitement getting to see a lot of my favorite artists and meeting lots of new people.
How Did I Learn About Imagine?
I had heard about Imagine last year for 2018 because it was their 5th anniversary. I didn’t really know much else about it to feel inclined to attend. I just knew the lineup looking fairly stacked so I was intrigued by it, but didn’t pull the trigger on it.
Fast forward to this year, I was reached out on Instagram from someone from their influencer team inviting me to do social media content for them promoting the festival and in return, I’d receive a 3-Day VIP ticket (later turned into a 4-day). I was able to negotiate tickets for my boyfriend and I so we could both attend as he helps me with my content. I really did like the lineup as it was one of the more diverse lineups I had seen. I didn’t have anything going on in my schedule so I felt like we could make the trip out to Atlanta for the first time.
Planning Travel Arrangements
Anytime I am going to a new festival I automatically start looking at flights and hotels just to get an idea of the pricing of what we’re looking at. We decided we would fly to Atlanta on Friday and return on Monday and we would get a hotel. We did not want to camp as that would be pretty expensive to get a rental car, camping passes and camping gear just for a 3-day festival (compared to 6 days like Electric Forest). I also didn’t have any PTO left so we needed an easy entry/exit strategy.
Please note: we had already booked our travel and hotels when they announced the fourth day of the festival, a Thursday pre-party, was being added. We were surprised this got added on so close to the festival and weren’t able to make changes.
Flights
We always fly Southwest as the flights usually fit our budget and we’re able to check our bags for free. We booked our flights to Atlanta in July. I would’ve booked earlier if possible, but I was still paying for other festivals. My flight was $283.96. We flew into Atlanta early Friday morning and were able to check-in early to our hotel that worked out well.
Hotel & Shuttles
The thing with Imagine is that it is in Atlanta, but not in the heart of Atltanta. It’s actually in Hampton, Georgia so looking for hotels you need to look in the Hampton area which is about 30 minutes from the airport. There are three shuttle pickups in parts of Hampton: McDonough and Stockbridge. There were hotel takeovers at these pickup stops, but I found that the hotels next to the takeovers were cheaper. So we booked our hotel at the Quality Inn which was right next to the Comfort Suites – McDonough shuttle stop. For four people the room was $386.45 ($96 per person).
The shuttle was $78.46 per person with taxes and fees. We chose the shuttle over Uber just to prevent having to deal with surge pricing (I checked on the way there and Ubers were around $15 and when we were leaving before it ended were around $60). The shuttles were super reliable and clean. It definitely made me feel better about shuttle services after my awful EDC 2017 experience. I highly recommend shuttles if Unity Travel is in charge of the shuttle services at a festival.
Cost
Tickets: Free (GA Tier 4 Ticket: $269 + fees & VIP Ticket: $369 + fees)
**Tier 1 GA tickets start at $199 + fees**
Flights: $283.96
Hotel Room Split Between 4 People: $96.61
Shuttle Pass: $78.46
Outfits: $100
Walmart Trip/Food/Alcohol: $150
Locker: $30
MY TOTAL w/ Free Ticket: ~$750
Wanted to give you an idea of what the cost would’ve been given I didn’t have a free ticket.
TOTAL w/ GA Tier 4 Ticket: ~$1000
TOTAL w/ VIP Tier 4 Ticket: ~$1100
One more number to add on a camping pass was $99 + fees.
Imagine Music Festival
Enough with all the pre-planning boring stuff, let’s get into the festival. The festival is hosted at Atlanta Motor Speedway which gave me major EDC vibes the way it was laid out.
Security
Security surprisingly went quick for us all three days. We entered through the security that was near the shuttle stop which I think was supposed to be a quicker entry and it definitely was. Waited less than 5 minutes and they were super nice. They did check through our bags, but not as thorough as I’ve had at other festivals. Very seamless and easy process.
Layout
Like I said, it reminded me so much of EDC. You walk up this hill entrance and enter through the bleachers. They had a stage with music going as you walked up this hill which was nice to get the party going. Once you enter through the bleachers you’re greeted by Disco Inferno stage. At first, I was underwhelmed by this stage when I saw it on social media, but it ended up being my favorite. From there you can go to the right and head towards TechYes stage and Amazonia stage or go left and head towards Six Feathers and Oceania stage. The distance between Amazonia and Oceania was about a 15-minute walk the farthest and longest walk. Everything in between is art installations, food, and vendors that are pretty quick to get to.
There was also a pool in the middle of the venue that I think was more so if you camped you could go in during the day and cool down with the pool. We didn’t go in as we didn’t pack our any bathing suits for it, but I’m sure it helped keep cool during the day.
There was a lot going on but it was all manageable for us. Lots to explore and do which I think is great to keep attendees occupied if they don’t have a set to see. There were a lot of food options and vendors as well.
The Stages & Production
There were 5 stages at Imagine: Oceania, Amazonia, Disco Inferno, Tech Yes, and Six Feathers.
I felt that the stages were really well spread out and the production was pretty good. Disco Inferno and Oceania had great production. I felt that there wasn’t anything special to the Amazonia stage other than the speaker system was perfect for all the bass artists. There just wasn’t any special production to it. I didn’t really spend any time at Six Feathers as there weren’t any artists I wanted to see. We spent most of our time at Oceania and Disco Inferno. We went to Tech Yes when we had no one we wanted to see and it was a great time. I was surprised there wasn’t that much sound bleed between the stages.
The Crowd
I was fairly surprised that Imagine had one of the best crowds I’ve been in in a very long time. Not that I was going in expecting rude people it’s just becoming more apparent that in our community, there have been issues of shoving and people not saying excuse me. Everyone I met was super nice and we didn’t get shoved at all. There was a wide range of diversity as well. I never thought that the crowd was too young or anything. Met a lot of super cool people so I was happy. Also met a ton of people it was their first festival and they looked like they were having an awesome time.
The Weather
The weather was really great all weekend long. It was a lot cooler than it was in Austin which I appreciated. The later set times (starting at 5 pm) helped because there were only 1-2 hours of heat and once the sun went away it cooled down. I did pack a jacket or a pashmina to keep cool but I was dancing so much I didn’t even need it on the last day. We had a locker which helped to put a jacket or pashmina in just in case.
VIP Review
This was my first time doing VIP. We already had a separate entry so we didn’t have any type of special entry to get into the festival. There were three VIP sections: one by mainstage, another by Oceania and VIP cabanas near the splash pool. We didn’t go to the VIP section of the Amazonia since it was pretty close to the stage. I had lost my earplugs so my ears couldn’t handle the sound being that close which was unfortunate. We did go into the Oceania VIP area to utilize the bathrooms and I watched part of a set from the viewing area. There are a lot of other amenities in VIP and bars that are a nice added bonus. I did think that there weren’t enough bathrooms in that VIP section. That’s a huge selling point, but I’m not going to wait 20 minutes and miss most of a set to go the bathroom just cause it’s nicer, but that’s just me. I also still love the feeling and the vibe of the GA crowd which I think is why I mainly stayed in GA most of the time. Could be different for more older ravers or if you like having space, but I felt that there was a lot of space in GA so it never felt crowded to me.
Recap of Each Day
I’ll be going into each day of the festival, some highlights, and events that happened. I will have a separate blog post for what I wore so stay tuned for that.
Day 1
Day 1 was a little hectic at the start. Our group all flew in from our respective places and we all got ready together and we made it for the 5 pm shuttle. We didn’t have anyone we wanted to see right away so we were fine taking our time. The shuttle was about a 20-minute drive not bad at all.
As influencers, we received an email earlier in the day that we had to go to the credentials office instead of will call. They didn’t provide the exact location of the credentials office. The shuttle dropped us off at the festival entrance where will call was. We asked around and it ended up being that credentials were all the way on the other side of the venue. We ended up walking 20 minutes to get to credentials then waited another 40 minutes to get our passes. Unfortunately, we were charged a $50 donation fee for being on a guest list when that was not communicated to us prior. We are working to get this refunded, but it was frustrating being told this at the moment after waiting for so long. The guy that gave us our passes was taking such a long time which I have the patience for, but when the influencers behind us go to the girl working next to him and they’re out in less than 5 minutes was frustrating for me. Luckily, we finally got our passes and we were able to flag down a golf cart to take us back to the entrance.
We shook off that debacle and decided to let it go and figure out getting refunded later. We got into the festival and spent about 20 minutes trying to find the lockers because they moved it on the map and didn’t notify anyone about that change. After we got situated, we could finally let it go and dance the rest of the night away. We didn’t have any sets we really were dying to see other than Rezz. I enjoyed seeing k?d again I hadn’t seen him since EDC 2018. We also had a blast at the Tech Yes stage because the rest of the lineup was very bass and dubstep heavy that hearing some house music was nice. Rezz killed it and we ended the night with Dr.Fresch and a little bit of Rusko.
All in all, despite the issues, it was a great first day. I got to meet so many people I’ve followed for a really long time so it was great to connect with so many people. We ended our night a little early which helped as we recovered for the next day.
Check out my Day 1 VLOG from Imagine!
Day 2
Day 2 was a lot smoother and one of my favorite days. There were so many artists that we were excited to see. We got to the venue with a little bit of time before Emma Kapotes and I had our meetup. It was so great to meet so many people that watch our channels and follow us on social media. If you came by and said hi, THANK YOU! We love meeting you guys.
After our meetup, we made it to Wax Motif (who I was most excited to see). We joined the shuffle meetup and watched so many talented people shuffle the whole set. I even jumped into a shuffle circle myself I was so proud. We ended up missing 1788-L because the times were off on the app for Disco Inferno. We stayed through until the middle of Anna Lunoe then headed over to KSHMR. The rest was a getting a little bit of everything taking a break for some Nora en Pure in the grass by Disco Inferno. Catching our queen Alison Wonderland for a little then saw the beginning of GJones. Stopped by for another sitting break at Lane 8 to rally for the rest of the night.
Then for the grand finale of the night, we had Zeds Dead into Above and Beyond. Zeds Dead KILLED IT. One of my favorite sets of the weekend. It was honestly even better than their Electric Forest set I was so surprised. Closing it out with Above and Beyond was all the feels. It was a perfect end to day 2.
Check out my Day 2 VLOG from Imagine!
Day 3
Day 3 ended at midnight which helped a ton it made the night not feel as long compared to the other nights. We got in and went to Emma’s Meetup with the Lunchbox fam then went to Disco Inferno for the Dirtybird Takeover. Justin Jay was the perfect sunset set to kick off the night.
Then we went to Oceania to see the best Seven Lions stage I have EVER seen. You can watch my Day 3 vlog to find out why. It was just the most cohesive set I had seen from him that gave me all the feels. Afterward, we went back to the Dirtybird takeover for Justin Martin where we actually ran into Seven Lions and his wife and got to meet him.
Justin Martin was a great vibe for sure. Then to close out the night was Mr. Claude VonStroke himself. I’ll be attending Dirtybird Campout next weekend and this was the best pregame to that. Claude killed it and it was the perfect end to the festival.
Check out my Day 3 VLOG from Imagine!
Pros & Cons
Pros
- The music – didn’t see a bad set all weekend!
- The crowd
- Food and drinks were pretty well priced
- Lots of art and vendors
- Layout and use of space was great
- Security
- Shuttle System
Cons
- Adding the 4th day late in the game after travel plans were booked
- Could’ve had more bathrooms in both GA and VIP in the highly trafficked areas
- Ticket issue (I know this is a special scenario since I was an influencer which would’ve been prevented if I bought my ticket)
- There were no recycling and composting which really bothered me. Need to be doing more to be sustainable!
- Set time issues in the app with Disco Inferno on Day 2
- Moving the Lockers and no announcement being made on the first day causing confusion; however, this was my first time using a locker at a festival and I highly recommend it!
- More water stations or nozzles at water stations
Q & A
I received some questions from my Instagram followers to put some of this at a high level and make sure I was as detailed as I could be in this review.
Was the weather pretty accurate and tolerant for being in GA?
I was expecting it to be a lot hotter so I really enjoyed the weather. Packed a jacket or pashmina just in case and only really got cold the first and second night.
When is the best time to purchase flight tickets for it?
I purchased mine in July and still paid a decent price for it (Southwest – $283). I imagine if you planned ahead more you could’ve gotten something cheaper.
How was the shuttle system and how much did it cost?
Shuttles were a great way to get to and from the festival! It was $78.46 after taxes and fees.
Best way to find a hotel? Are hotels expensive?
I looked up where the shuttle stops were then looked at hotels around those stops on Expedia. I’m sure you could use Hotels.com or Booking.com as well. I felt that paying $93 per person ($386 total split between four people) wasn’t expensive for a three-night stay.
How long did it take to get in?
The shuttle drop off had a separate entrance so it took us less than 5 minutes each day. We got to the festival around the same time 5:30ish.
Was everything accessible?
Yes I thought so. Everything was super easy to get to and the longest walk was from Amazonia to Oceania about 15 minutes.
I attended and was a little let down by the production and size of it. What do you think?
I’ve been to so many top-notch festivals that I always go into new festivals with an open mind. I had a great weekend overall. Despite some logistical issues, I think Imagine is really a great festival for the people that live in the South. I think they have some things to learn from, but they definitely have room to improve and grow on.
Did you feel overwhelmed by how much there is to do there?
Not at all! There was a lot to do, but I think there’s way more to do at festivals like EDC and Electric Forest that is way more overwhelming to me at least.
How far are the stages apart and does the sound from one stage interfere with the other?
Aside from Oceania to Amazonia (15-minute walk), the rest of the stages are about a five-minute walk between one another. Disco Inferno and TechYes are super close to each other but did not have any issues with sound bleed. There weren’t any sound bleed issues all weekend long.
How was the lemonade compared to other festivals?
7/10 a bit too sugary for me.
What did you think of the vibes at Imagine? Is it a really young crowd?
The crowd was 10/10. Everyone was super friendly. I didn’t think it was a super-young crowd. I saw a wide diversity of people at Imagine.
When do tickets go on sale?
I think they’ll start pre-sale fairly soon. I already got an email for a loyalty code which I was surprised by.
Atlanta! What’d you think?
Sadly did not get to see much of Atlanta since it was a short trip and Imagine is outside of Atlanta we weren’t able to venture much. Hopefully can come back one day!
Was it worth it? If you only can go to to 3 festivals, is it worth it to make that 1 of the 3?
This is a tough question because it depends on the other three festivals you’re weighing out. I think it’s worth it if you live close don’t have to factor in flights and hotels and all that and could camp. I felt that my experience was very much worth it, I did have a free ticket that came with the content I put in the work for so I think the trip, all in all, was worth it for me.
Would I return?
My boyfriend Ryan and I talked about this and determined that if we lived near Atlanta we for sure would attend again. We had a great weekend overall and logistically everything went well. I think every festival has something to learn and improve upon, but overall Imagine has a great thing going for them. I am happy I got to try this festival out, but I am a wandering woman that wants to try every and all festivals so I can write reviews like this for you guys.
Advice for IMF 2020
If you’re not into camping, hotel and shuttles were a great option for us. Get your tickets at the tier 1 pricing to save money and book your flights and hotel when you can. If you can camp, I’m sure it’s a great experience to do with a squad. I didn’t really hear any complaints about camping so that can also be a viable option. Also just be prepared for them to add on a Thursday night pre-party even if they don’t announce it right away 😉
This was probably my most in-depth review I have ever done so I hope this helped at least someone out there! Thanks so much for reading and supporting! Because of ya’ll I got to attend Imagine in the first place so I appreciate you. Let me know if you have any questions!
Watch my review on YouTube!
Leave a Reply