While many of us reveled in the vibrant atmosphere of WorldPride events in Washington D.C. this year, a frustrating reality began to emerge regarding the WorldPride Music Festival. It became increasingly clear that the promoters—Dreamland, Insomniac, and Front Gate Tickets—seemed to deliberately keep secret the extensive schedule of mega circuit events happening concurrently throughout the weekend. This lack of transparency, coupled with questionable scheduling, led to significant inconvenience and financial loss for many festival-goers.
A primary point of contention was the overlap of DJs and artists. In many cases, the same headlining DJs and performers who were playing at the official music festival were also booked for the independent “afters” events, such as Matinee Group, M.E.A.T., WE Party, and other major circuit gatherings. The festival itself typically concluded around 11 PM, while many of these highly anticipated “afters” parties kicked off as early as 9 PM or 10 PM. This created a direct conflict, forcing attendees to choose between the latter half of the festival or the beginning of the circuit event they truly wanted to experience.
The impact on circuit attendees, who often travel specifically for these dance events, was particularly harsh. Many “circuit boys” found themselves losing money by selling their festival tickets at a significant discount, or simply abandoning them altogether. Why? Because the “afters” often proved to be a much more appealing and cost-effective option. Attendees didn’t want to incur additional fees for things like lockers at the festival when the circuit parties were often within walking distance of hotels and offered a comparable, if not superior, lineup at a cheaper entry point. Even the host hotel for the music festival was frequently closer to these “afters” venues, including Soundcheck, Bunker, and A.I. Warehouse.
This situation left many feeling that the WorldPride Music Festival was less about the attendee experience and more of a huge money grab. The problem was exacerbated by the promoters’ ticketing strategy; they continued selling tickets and running ads on Facebook even days and weeks leading up to the festival.
This last-minute push made it incredibly difficult for those who had purchased their passes months in advance to resell their tickets, further solidifying the financial hit for many dedicated festival-goers.
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