Paradiso Festival was an annual electronic dance music festival held at The Gorge Amphitheatre located on the Columbia River in George, Washington, United States. Founded by USC Events and Live Nation Entertainment in 2012, Paradiso was billed as the “largest Electronic Dance Music event ever staged in the Pacific Northwest”, with the 2012 attendance exceeding 29,000 people. The 2013 event saw performances by Kaskade, Porter Robinson, Tiesto, and more. On January 28, 2020 Insomniac filed a lawsuit against USC Events alleging that USC refused to account for $2 million meant for artists and vendors at the 2019 festival. Insomniac has expressed interest in having a summer event at the Gorge which will likely replace Paradiso.
Camping
Attendants of the Paradiso Festival have an option to camp at The Gorge Amphitheatre. While the festival itself is two days long, camping starts a day before the festival starts. At the 2017 festival, camping was open to everyone at 1 p.m. PST. There are four types of camping an attendant can buy. Standard Camping, Premier Camping, Gold Camping, and Terrace Camping. The Standard Camping pass is the cheapest while the Terrace Camping pass is the most expensive. Each camp ground has its own perks and the perks get better as you get a more expensive camping pass. Campers only get one car per campsite and six people per camp site. There are vendors for food and misc. items and showers towards the middle of the camp grounds. There are Porta Potty/ Handwashing stations along with garbage cans everywhere.
Culture
The people there are generally nice and attendants can expect to see costumes and outfits that is catered to the EDM industry. Such as vibrant colored clothing, etc. Some people there are also big on the PLUR movement. Which means Peace, Love, Unity, Respect. It isn't specific to the Paradiso Festival, the PLUR culture extends beyond EDM and festivals. Art is also a big theme at the festival. In the festival itself attendants can find all sorts of artwork everywhere. The music is obviously a big part of the culture itself too. People mainly listen to EDM, but within the genre itself there is a wide spectrum of sounds that get categorized into a subgenre. Such as house and trap, they are in the same genre of EDM, but different categories.
The Festival
Attendants can expect to be searched and patted down upon entry to the festival for illegal substances and alcohol. In the actual festival area, attendants can find vendors for food and drinks. Other vendors sell accessories, clothing, and misc. items. There are carnival rides and carnival games for those who are interested. Hydration stations and Porta Potties are setup almost everywhere within the area. There are also people who walk around looking out for those who need help. They are called the "Conscious Crew". There are medical tents for those in need. There are three stages total with three artists playing at the same time so attendants typically choose which artists to go to or go back and forth between artists until their set is over. However, at night, the mainstage is typically where major artists play. Such as, Yellow Claw or Marshmello, in the 2017 festival. Attendants can expect to see lights and lasers at night.
