On the weekend of September 22-25, 2022, Firefly Music Festival returned to the Woodlands of Dover, Delaware to celebrate its 10th anniversary with headline performances from Halsey, My Chemical Romance, Green Day, Dua Lipa, and many more! The diverse genres of artists is what makes Firefly a memorable experience.
Firefly Music Festival took place in The Woodlands of Dover, Delaware, right next to Dover International Speedway. What makes Firefly unique isn’t just the performances, but the atmosphere and the overall experience. Since its start in July 2012, festivalgoers are offered the chance to camp at the festival, whether that be in an RV, a glamping site, or a pop-up tent. Along with the camping, each stage embraces its own personality: the Backyard hosted most of the rap acts over the weekend, The Pavillion which hosted most of the EDM acts, The Treehouse and The Nest which offered attendees an escape from the massive size of the Woodlands to an area where they could see their favorite small artists in an intimate setting such as SEB.
Firefly certainly does not shy away when it comes to good eating. Whether its a quick bite from the various food trucks or a tasty dessert at Stuffed Ice Cream, Firelfy has it all including vegan friendly meals. Attendees could not get enough of Stuffed Ice Cream’s delicious cruffs – an ice-cream filled donut toasted to perfection. Even on the chilly nights, festivalgoers were seen lined up for the mouth-watering treat. The good news is everyone can explore the various flavors and options Stuffed Ice Cream has to offer in its New York City based store located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
A Weekend Filled With Entertainment
A little bit of rain and muddy floors didn’t stop the party on Thursday. Firefly kicked off its weekend with headlining sets from Halsey, Jamiexx, Willow, 100 Gecs, San Holo & Gayle. While some walked onto the festival grounds admiring the numerous decorations and activities, others ran to secure a spot at the stage where their favorite artists would perform. Willow brought the energy to the main stage dressed in a custom T-shirt designed by one Firefly’s clothing booths. She played the iconic “Wait a Minute!” along with “Meet Me At Our Spot”.
Although Willow brought great energy to stage, 100 Gecs certainly knew how to turn up in style dressed in unique wizard like outfits. Mosh pits left and right filled the audience which some would say only enhanced the lively performance. Songs performed by the Duo included “money machine”, “stupid horse”, “mememe” and more.
Thursday was one for the books but Friday was just as memorable. Many were looking forward to Big Sean who unfortunately had to cancel his set due to a respiratory infection. LSDREAM filled in for the Detroit based rapper and did not disappoint. Illuminating the night sky with vibrant colorful visuals is what made LSDREAM stand out.
During the day fans were scattered across the festival site. It was the first time Norwegian singer/songwriter Anna of The North performed in the U.S since covid. While on stage she brought out guest singer Gus Dapperton to sing “Meteorite” together. NYSM staff photographer Adrian Hernandez had the opportunity to shoot portraits of Anna who was nothing but kind, loving, and energetic throughout their photo session.
My Chemical Romance closed the main stage with a roar on night 2. Fans of all ages, old and young, sang along word for word almost every song the band performed. In between songs, lead vocalist Gerard Way was interactive with the audience and knew how to put a smile on everyones face through his humor.
Later that night, once Zedd took the stage, an overwhelming surge of cheers and screams kicked in. Zedd had the crowd on overdrive right from the start of the set. On top of that, the laser light show was perfectly in sync with his electronic tunes.
Once day 3 arrived, it meant the weekend was finally here. Time to unload, sit back and enjoy the beautiful day packed with great music. Sueco brought life to the crowd after jumping into the audience to crowd surf his fans. Shortly after he joined the spectators in the center of a moshpit as he performed “fast”.
Porter Robinson ended the night performing songs from his latest album Nurture such as “Something Comforting”, “Shelter”, and the emotional dedication “Mother”. Some even shed a tear during his impactful set.
It felt like the weekend flew as the last day of Firefly Music Festival finally arrived. It was during the middle of The Regrettes when festivalgoers were kicked off site due to a severe weather warning. This caused sets to be pushed back and some shortened like Charli XCX. Unfortunate for those who were looking forward to see the pop queen but the show went on.
Once festival grounds reopened, T-Pain sang some of his classic hits and features such as “Good Life” with Kanye West. Shortly after, Conan Grey was on stage followed by The Kid Laroi at the Backyard stage and finally, to end the weekend on a high, Dua Lipa closing on her hit “Don’t Start Now”.
As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. While it’s sad to say goodbye to this years festival, we look forward to the next one and carry the memories we made along with us. See you soon Firefly!
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