Arizona’s Biggest New Year’s Eve Event: Decadence AZ
Words & Photos by Yoselin Moreno | View the fully gallery here
Decadence Arizona returned to the Phoenix Raceway for its 9th year this past weekend, making it the best way to ring in 2024. The two-day event was utterly electrifying, to say the least, filled with dazzling light shows, mesmerizing visuals, and vibrant energy from a stellar lineup.
Production and Layout
Decadence AZ is produced by Relentless Beats, known for bringing the biggest and best electronic music festivals and concerts to Arizona. Stages were adorned with state-of-the-art lighting, LED screens, and high-quality sound systems. Festival goers could also enjoy various special effects such as lasers, CO2 cannons, and confetti blasts, creating a multi-sensory spectacle.
The festival itself felt like the perfect size. It housed five stages: The Grand Palace, The Royal Ballroom, The Bazaar, The Playhouse, and The Quiet Quarters Silent Disco, each offering a unique setup and visuals. The stages were just a short distance from one another, allowing festivalgoers to travel between sets easily. The two main stages, The Grand Palace and The Royal Ballroom, were housed in vast tents shielding attendees from the elements.
Lineup & Headliners
Let’s talk about the lineup! This year’s top-tier lineup included a perfect blend of different sounds by established and emerging artists. Whether you are into house, dubstep, future bass, or techno, festivalgoers could enjoy various sets at the various stages leading up to the midnight countdown.
Headliners included Steve Aoki, Subtronics, Illenium, Loud Luxury, and Black Sex Tiger Machine, to name a few. Each headliner brought immense energy to the stage in their own way, making for two nights of non-stop headbanging and bouncing into the early morning hours.
Countdown Sets
SLANDER and Wax Motif both had countdown sets presenting attendees with a tough decision. While I caught the beginning of Wax Motif’s thrilling set at The Royal Ballroom, I really wanted to experience the countdown to midnight with SLANDER at The Grand Palace.
SLANDER began their countdown set at 10:50 pm, granting them time to amplify the atmosphere and set the perfect tone for the new year. As midnight grew closer and closer, the room filled with eagerness and excitement. Soon, fellow headliner Illlenium joined SLANDER on stage. The main LED screen illuminated the crowd as the countdown appeared. As the LED SCREEN began to read Happy New Year, the venue erupted with a cosmic amount of joy and excitement as confetti and balloons showered attendees to welcome the start of 2024.
Experiences and Activities
Decadence Arizona is only complete with the great amount of experiences and activities it has to offer attendees. Upon entering and exploring the festival grounds, I noticed the various glowing photo-ops presented by Decadence and its official partners, such as BeatBox. As I kept exploring, other immersive activities also caught my attention. One of my favorites was the Quiet Quarters’ silent disco presented by Chillax, which offered a unique way for festivalgoers to enjoy smaller artists. I also enjoyed visiting The Bazaar, presented by Aeriz, which served as an entertainment lounge featuring Voodoo Ranger’s 1UP video game arcade and Starlight Studio, displaying live artist painting and fantastic music. Their weird and wonderful performers constantly floated throughout the festival grounds, making for an even more unique experience for attendees.
Overall Experience
I truly enjoyed my time at Decadence Arizona and plan to attend again. It was two days of complete celebration and magical energy. The incredible music, paired with state-of-the-art production and attractions, made it clear as to why it has become a New Year’s Eve staple in the Southwest. There was no better way to welcome 2024.
Visit www.relentlessbeats.com for the most up-to-date information on all Relentless Beats events. Find Relentless Beats on Instagram and Twitter at @RelentlessBeats and Facebook at www.facebook.com/RelentlessBeats
