USA – Starting only five years ago, We Belong Here has quickly established itself as one of the EDM world’s fastest growing festivals. This year, the widely acclaimed event reached a new milestone, expanding from two days to three. At the heart of this rapid rise is, of course, music, but there is also more at work here than just the sounds of artists like Kaskade, Chris Lake, Gorgon City, and Tiësto, all of whom performed here this February.
The deep connection that We Belong Here has forged with fans goes well beyond music to the very essence of the festival itself. Held at historic Virginia Beach Park, just off the bustle of downtown, the event immerses fans in a smooth holistic environment that allows them to move freely between its three stages with plenty of special spaces in between for connecting to the natural beauty of the setting.
Contributing to this engaging vibe throughout the grounds and on the three festival stages, including the 360°main stage is a thoughtfully crafted lighting design that featured over 100 CHAUVET Professional fixtures supplied by Technical Arts Group.
“Key to our vision for the design was the concept that production will not live on just the live on the stage but will surround the audience,” said designer Moshe Baskin. “By placing lighting elements throughout the site around the main stage area, pathways, and surrounding structures, we created the feeling that the production wraps around the crowd rather than just being something they look at from a distance. It helps the audience feel fully immersed in the environment and makes the entire festival space feel like part of the show.”
Creating this supportive atmosphere and maintaining it throughout the event was a major goal for the entire production team, including Baskin, festival production manager Riad Feratovic; L1: Michael Salvatore; house LD Jeffrey Giancaspro; lighting techs Mokishini Luis, Jean Pierre (“JP”) Pesantez, Nicolas Moreno, Randy Castro and Joseph Eskew, as well as laser vendor: Coherent Desi, and laser operator Will Kent.
Also high on the list of objectives was creating a very versatile rig that maximized creative options for visiting LDs. “We created a playground of eight different fixture styles, and staggered configurations specifically for versatility,” said Baskin. “We also focused on creating a balanced blend of video and light. A big part of that was restraint. The lighting rig was designed to complement the lasers rather than compete with them. We avoided over saturating the stage with LED output during laser moments and made sure the beam fixtures and atmospherics supported the laser effects instead of washing them out.”
Contributing to the lighting part of this equation were 58 COLORado PXL Bar 16 motorized battens, 22 of which were arranged on the overhead rig to deliver top lighting for the performers. By utilizing the 90-degree tilt of these fixtures, the design team was also able to accent the architecture of the stage and the nearby floral installations, so they did double duty. The remaining batten fixtures were positioned on towers to provide immersive lighting at the festival site.
“The rig’s 50 Color STRIKE M fixtures were arranged on the stage’s back-grid setup. Staggering these fixtures alongside blinders created a massive wall of light effect that was essential for those high-energy drops.”
The one thing missing from the main stage’s power pack rig was a video wall. “Not having LED screens is a core part of the festival’s identity,” noted Baskin. “We Belong Here intentionally does not use them in productions. From the beginning of this festival’s history, the idea has been to create a visual experience driven by lighting, lasers, and stage architecture rather than large video surfaces.”
This, the design team believes, is a better way to create a more immediate and engaging setting… exactly the kind that We Belong Here has use to win over the hearts of festival fans.
